Maybe, but it’s really difficult to upgrade areas that are already average or better.
Right, and would dent the farm system to do it. And those resources are needed for pitching upgrades.
I'm with
@Smiling Joe Hesketh on this one, but I don't think the solution is necessarily to trade Verdugo.
This is what's tough: nearly all positions project to be average or so. Verdugo, Duran, Urias, Wong, Casas, even Yoshida -- these are all guys who are projected to be worth around a couple wins. That's how we ended up being an about average team.
We discussed this earlier in the offseason, but they need a few guys who are 4 win+ players, because right now, Story and Devers are the only guys with a track record of putting up really big seasons, and Story carries major question marks. While I think there's a good chance Story and Devers are both 4+ win players next year, Abreu shows out, and Urias steps up and becomes a 3 win guy again, I also feel they do have to upgrade
somewhere. The defensive issues may be treated by a full year of Story at SS and plugging Ceddane into the outfield, but that won't by itself get them over the hump.
Verdugo may seem like a good choice to move on from because he's probably leaving in a year anyway, but if we're not going to make a huge splash trading for Soto or signing Ohtani, it's more likely we land that good player by trading someone who's cost-controlled than we will trading Verdugo. That's why Duran, Abreu, and Rafaela keep coming up in trade-talk discussions. There's three cost-controlled outfielders right there who would be extremely attractive to rebuilding teams. Wong and Casas (who I would hate to see go) also are very much cost-controlled.
Much as we like these guys, they all have warts. Wong and Rafaela are strikeout machines, Casas was a butcher most of the year, Duran is still a below-average fielder (though no longer tragically so). If we're looking to land a big fish, all of these guys might be potential chips.
As others have noted, upgrading from Verdugo is a possibility, but it's not the only one. Who gets moved and who doesn't will have a lot more to do with who becomes available, and where the Sox are able to make competitive offers, because there really are only a couple of position players who are really inspiring.