It would probably take every bit of Chris Young's freed up money and then some to keep Nunez so I guess the answer is yes, they could do that. However, I'm not overly enthusiastic about him being the defacto 4th OF. He's had 49 games played in the outfield in his MLB career (just 2 games in the minors). I'd rather they have a true outfielder as the primary back-up and let Nunez or Holt or whoever is deemed the super-utility guy be the 5th OF.Couldn't they keep Nunez in the Chris Young role? With time around the diamond as well...?
Anecdotally, he's a Hanley Ramirez-grade outfield defender.Couldn't they keep Nunez in the Chris Young role? With time around the diamond as well...?
Guessing that is more a reflection on how many good Ben Zobrist'type of players there actually are.Not many teams hand out big Zobrist-type contracts.
I'd rather see Holt replaced with either a slugger or a speedster for the playoffs, and with the likelihood of dropping to an 11-man BP, it could be both. Or a 3rd CatcherSounds like a perfect bench for the end run
Nunez (rhh reverse split) - any infield position
Young (rhh) - any outfield position (or a corner moves to cf)
Holt - (lhh no split) any position
Vazquez (rhh) - except the one that Holt doesn't cover
Except he's not going to be on the bench.Sounds like a perfect bench for the end run
Nunez (rhh reverse split) - any infield position
Young (rhh) - any outfield position (or a corner moves to cf)
Holt - (lhh no split) any position
Vazquez (rhh) - except the one that Holt doesn't cover
It's definitely worth pursuing but that has to be considered in the context of other Sox needs- short and long term.The sox need to try to keep Nunez. Say goodbye to Young, Moreland and Holt if need be. Nunez is a top of the order type guy in hitting parks especially Fenway. He's made for Fenway. Pedroia isn't all of a sudden going to give the Sox 150 games any more. Pay extra to keep him. Let others go.
Devers and Beni for next year will give them enough power.And expect and improvement from Xander. To get the power bat - along with being a good player - imo it would be less likely for long-term contracts.It's definitely worth pursuing but that has to be considered in the context of other Sox needs- short and long term.
Immediately needs are a power hitting 1B. Then long term contracts to any of the B's. Sale? Lock up Kimbrell?
Maybe most teams will see his lifetime .910 OPS at Fenway and figure he's really good there and probably not that good across all other ballparks. They'll quite possibly figure he'll go back to the lifetime 97 OPS guy, although they may think he figured something out in 2015 with Minnesota. He's been better since. Hopefully, the other GMs will conclude my first point here.The Red Sox, with their present payroll situation, can't be paying the kind of money Nunez is due to be offered this winter for a utility player. Not unless they're going to go the deep discount route again at 1B, as well as 4th OF, as well as in the bullpen.
It's a new reality. The Competitive Balance penalties are a real deterrent for teams to go over the luxury tax threshold. And the Red Sox have hamstrung themselves with deals like the Sandoval one (which to be reasonable was signed before these new CB rules were enacted).
Nunez should start. His value is that he can start anywhere. Next year you sign him initially as your 1b/dh - he and Hanley. The beauty of Nunez is - anyone gets hurt you can plug him into near any spot but he would be a starter either dh or 1b- and he a top of the order quality hitter. And we do have age as a huge consideration at 2b as is Hanley. The power bat good quality 1st baseman is going to cost a lot too. But with Nunez you don't need Holt and you don't need to pay for a good quality power bat 1b. A good quality 1b plus Holt is near same price as Nunez would be. But it's not like Nunez will be getting $12m- 15m. A guy like Nunez doesn't have the same value in big ball parks.The Red Sox, with their present payroll situation, can't be paying the kind of money Nunez is due to be offered this winter for a utility player. Not unless they're going to go the deep discount route again at 1B, as well as 4th OF, as well as in the bullpen.
It's a new reality. The Competitive Balance penalties are a real deterrent for teams to go over the luxury tax threshold. And the Red Sox have hamstrung themselves with deals like the Sandoval one (which to be reasonable was signed before these new CB rules were enacted).