What does the Red Sox middle infield look like in 2024?

moondog80 · Aug 10, 2023

I feel like at least one of Mayer/Yorke will be ready by opening day 2025 at the latest, so I really hope Urias shows enough to be the bridge and we can use our resources elsewhere (i.e., starting pitching) for next year.

I'd also like to see if Mondesi wants to try to pull a Paxton, sign a minor league deal, and if it works out in the spring, see if playing only once or twice a week agrees with him.

Fishy1 · Aug 10, 2023

moondog80 said:
I feel like at least one of Mayer/Yorke will be ready by opening day 2025 at the latest, so I really hope Urias shows enough to be the bridge and we can use our resources elsewhere (i.e., starting pitching) for next year.

I hate to be a wet blanket (or maybe I don't) but I'm very skeptical of both of them even if I like them as prospects.

Mayer:

Yorke:

There's so much to like here, obviously, and they're both very young for their levels, so take this with a grain of salt... but those K%'s give me the willies. 25% is the point at which I really start to worry about whether a guy can handle big league pitching. Maybe an unfair comparison, but after a 37% K rate in AA, Dalbec posted a 25% over 400 or so plate appearances, and people thought maybe his strikeout issues were solved... and we all know how that went. Duran struck out only 23-24% of the time in AA, and that ballooned to 35% and 30% his first couple stints in the bigs. Now, he smoothed that out, but it took four years (including COVID) from then to now for him to do so.

Compare Urias' performance in the minors (I know, I know, it's not all directly comparable). Urias struck out less than he walked in AA, and only 20% of the time in AAA... and even so, he was brutally bad in his first couple stints in the big leagues.

Honestly I would bet on Urias sticking way more than I would Mayer or Yorke. Both of them still look like lottery tickets to me, and I wouldn't mind at all seeing them packaged for a starting pitcher. If they don't solve their K issues, they'll be striking out 25-30% of the time, and then there's just no wiggle room for BABIP.

Jack Rabbit Slim · Aug 10, 2023

If Urias doesn't show much for the rest of the year I would be interested in a short deal for Merrifield. $18M seems very steep for his option to be picked up. He will be 35 but has bounced back nicely from a bad year and a half in KC (didn't like playing for a non-contender?) and he would add another RHH to the outfield mix.

moondog80 · Aug 10, 2023

Fishy1 said:
I hate to be a wet blanket (or maybe I don't) but I'm very skeptical of both of them even if I like them as prospects....

If they don't solve their K issues, they'll be striking out 25-30% of the time, and then there's just no wiggle room for BABIP.

You might be right, but here's the thing: the offensive bar at SS is really low. Anthony Volpe is hitting 211/290/372 with a K rate of 28%, and has a WAR of 2.6 with almost two months to go. You might argue that Mayer won't be as good of a fielder and you're probably right, but he does project to be a better hitter. He's in AA at one year younger than Volpe was, and while his results have been underwhelming, the soxprospects guys (who are not homers, just ask the fans of Chase Meidroth and Blaze Jordan) say that his base numbers look OK, just a very low BABIP. And even Volpe's oWAR is still 1.5, same as Casas. This is how Trevor Story was able to put up a respectable WAR of 2.5 in only 396 PA last year despite hitting a seemingly underwhelming 238/303/434.

Fishy1 · Aug 10, 2023

moondog80 said:
You might be right, but here's the thing: the offensive bar at SS is really low. Anthony Volpe is hitting 211/290/372 with a K rate of 28%, and has a WAR of 2.6 with almost two months to go. You might argue that Mayer won't be as good of a fielder and you're probably right, but he does project to be a better hitter. He's in AA at one year younger than Volpe was, and while his results have been underwhelming, the soxprospects guys (who are not homers, just ask the fans of Chase Meidroth and Blaze Jordan) say that his base numbers look OK, just a very low BABIP. And even Volpe's oWAR is still 1.5, same as Casas. This is how Trevor Story was able to put up a respectable WAR of 2.5 in only 296 PA last year despite hitting an underwhelming 238/303/434.

Good point. The good news is they have options: if Urias really is in the process of flaming out (which I doubt he is), then Mayer and Yorke will be knocking before either of Story or Urias are out of the organization. As bad as SS and 2B have been this year, I think the organization is in a place of relative strength at this juncture. Story and Urias have the chance to be a very, very good combo for this team. I think if they both stay on the field, which I'm also pretty sanguine about, Mayer and Yorke flaming out wouldn't be the end of the world.

And I'm not really discouraged by Mayer's performance at AA; as you point out, the v low BABIP points to some bad luck.

(And you're looking at a Meidroth/Blaze stan. I think Meidroth and Blaze Jordan have just as much encouraging stuff in their batting profiles as Yorke and Mayer *ducks*).

johnlos · Aug 10, 2023

Fishy1 said:
I hate to be a wet blanket (or maybe I don't) but I'm very skeptical of both of them even if I like them as prospects.

Mayer:
View attachment 68959
Yorke:
View attachment 68960
There's so much to like here, obviously, and they're both very young for their levels, so take this with a grain of salt... but those K%'s give me the willies. 25% is the point at which I really start to worry about whether a guy can handle big league pitching. Maybe an unfair comparison, but after a 37% K rate in AA, Dalbec posted a 25% over 400 or so plate appearances, and people thought maybe his strikeout issues were solved... and we all know how that went. Duran struck out only 23-24% of the time in AA, and that ballooned to 35% and 30% his first couple stints in the bigs. Now, he smoothed that out, but it took four years (including COVID) from then to now for him to do so.

Compare Urias' performance in the minors (I know, I know, it's not all directly comparable). Urias struck out less than he walked in AA, and only 20% of the time in AAA... and even so, he was brutally bad in his first couple stints in the big leagues.
View attachment 68961

Honestly I would bet on Urias sticking way more than I would Mayer or Yorke. Both of them still look like lottery tickets to me, and I wouldn't mind at all seeing them packaged for a starting pitcher. If they don't solve their K issues, they'll be striking out 25-30% of the time, and then there's just no wiggle room for BABIP.

As much of a statshead as anyone but there are reasons Mayer is a top 5-10 prospect in baseball on almost all the updated lists. Scouting, statcast, age at level, etc. K rates aren’t everything.

As you even said despite all the COVID development delays Duran seems to have turned a corner (and is now considered our second most valuable asset). And he was considered a much more raw prospect than Mayer. Frankly, baseball is littered with big talents that only figured it out at the big league level.

Fishy1 · Aug 11, 2023

johnlos said:
As much of a statshead as anyone but there are reasons Mayer is a top 5-10 prospect in baseball on almost all the updated lists. Scouting, statcast, age at level, etc. K rates aren’t everything.

As you even said despite all the COVID development delays Duran seems to have turned a corner (and is now considered our second most valuable asset). And he was considered a much more raw prospect than Mayer. Frankly, baseball is littered with big talents that only figured it out at the big league level.

Let me temper what I said: they certainly are not everything. But they are a red flag. And while you're correct that baseball is littered with big talents who only figure it out in the big leagues, there's also a graveyard magnitudes larger of players who never figured out how to hit a big-league fastball or how to lay off pitches.

A 25% K rate in AA is not a death sentence, I'm not saying that -- there's plenty of big leaguers with K rates over 25% who are not only productive but exceptional hitters. There's plenty to get excited about these guys, and I think calling them lottery tickets was a little silly of me. There's a good chance 1 or even a couple of Mayer, Yorke and Hickey have good big league careers.

Fishy1 · Aug 11, 2023

JM3 said:
I think Mayer's strikeout rate could easily be skewed by his shoulder injury.

In his last 6 games prior to going on the IL he struck out 16 times in 32 PAs.

Prior to that, since being promoted to Portland, he had 33 strikeouts in 158 PAs (20.9%).

I think been be just fine.

Very possibly, don't get me wrong! But he's been around 25% at every level before this year, so that's where I'm coming from. I hadn't looked at it that granularly, but that's encouraging that it's come down some.

He just, giving his K troubles, strikes me as a guy who might need a few years to adjust to big league pitching. I doubt, from where I'm sitting, that he comes up and rakes right away. But I could be wrong.

BravesField · Aug 11, 2023

Here's the issue I have with Urias that bothers me.

Milwaukee is in the middle of a playoff run and they have a really good chance to win the Central Division. With this thought, they feel it's better to field two rookies, Turang and Monasterio and jettison Urias.

I'm ok with the trade that brought him here, we needed some short term IF help. I can't get past the fact that he was passed over to be even the bench guy for the Brewers. So I wonder if he is really a serious contender for a 2024 roster spot.

moondog80 · Aug 11, 2023

BravesField said:
Here's the issue I have with Urias that bothers me.

Milwaukee is in the middle of a playoff run and they have a really good chance to win the Central Division. With this thought, they feel it's better to field two rookies, Turang and Monasterio and jettison Urias.

I'm ok with the trade that brought him here, we needed some short term IF help. I can't get past the fact that he was passed over to be even the bench guy for the Brewers. So I wonder if he is really a serious contender for a 2024 roster spot.

You might be right, but there's enough of a history of success where it's a worthy gamble. We'll know a lot more about Urias at the end of the season.

Fishy1 · Aug 11, 2023

BravesField said:
Here's the issue I have with Urias that bothers me.

Milwaukee is in the middle of a playoff run and they have a really good chance to win the Central Division. With this thought, they feel it's better to field two rookies, Turang and Monasterio and jettison Urias.

I'm ok with the trade that brought him here, we needed some short term IF help. I can't get past the fact that he was passed over to be even the bench guy for the Brewers. So I wonder if he is really a serious contender for a 2024 roster spot.

There's two possibilites: the first is Urias is cooked at 26 years old, the second is that Milwaukee had two many middle infielders and got impatient with Urias's struggles/injuries this year.

I wouldn't call Monasterio a "bench guy," he's a legit prospect who forced Milwaukee's hand by ripping the cover of the ball. Turang is a good defender, Monasterio has been ripping the cover off the ball (wrc+ of 117 in limited time). They just had too many infielders already and decided to do the smart thing and jettison one of them.

The first possibility still may obtain, but I think a guy with Urias's history of plate discipline and pop should be fine, he's just got to get himself straightened out.

EDIT: what @moondog80 said

TFisNEXT · Aug 11, 2023

I highly doubt that Urias is cooked at 26. Maybe he's a headcase or something and never figures it out again, but I know I'd definitely buy low on a guy who put up wRC+ of 112 and 110 (total of 4.4 fWAR) in his age 24/25 seasons at the MLB level playing full time who also has good plate discipline. It's not like he's a hacker who maybe becomes a lot less desirable the instant he loses a pinch of bat speed or reaction time (ala Javy Baez being cooked at age 29).

Urias injured his hamstring pretty good at the beginning of the season and didn't get back until early June. My guess is he needed some time to get over the injury and get his timing back and the Brewers just didn't have the patience and their MI roster crunch made him expendable. I'm optimistic on Urias going forward.

Petagine in a Bottle · Aug 11, 2023

Urias is also making decent money. His trade may have been driven by economics, especially if the Brewers didn’t plan to tender him a contract for next year.

ElcaballitoMVP · Aug 11, 2023

BravesField said:
Here's the issue I have with Urias that bothers me.

Milwaukee is in the middle of a playoff run and they have a really good chance to win the Central Division. With this thought, they feel it's better to field two rookies, Turang and Monasterio and jettison Urias.

I'm ok with the trade that brought him here, we needed some short term IF help. I can't get past the fact that he was passed over to be even the bench guy for the Brewers. So I wonder if he is really a serious contender for a 2024 roster spot.

I don't think you should read too much into why Milwaukee moved on from him. They've got two younger, cheaper alternatives already on the MLB roster and Urias stopped hitting. The Brewers saved some money by moving a guy who lost his spot on the roster to Monasterio. They don't really have a bench spot for him when Tellez returns from the DL. The Sox, with their MI issues, can give Urias time in the MLB to see if he's still got something left when the Brewers couldn't. If he starts hitting again, he's got a spot on the '24 roster. If not, they'll move on. It's too soon to tell which it will be.

bosockboy · Aug 11, 2023

BravesField said:
Here's the issue I have with Urias that bothers me.

Milwaukee is in the middle of a playoff run and they have a really good chance to win the Central Division. With this thought, they feel it's better to field two rookies, Turang and Monasterio and jettison Urias.

I'm ok with the trade that brought him here, we needed some short term IF help. I can't get past the fact that he was passed over to be even the bench guy for the Brewers. So I wonder if he is really a serious contender for a 2024 roster spot.

The Twins moved on from David Ortiz. This stuff happens.

BravesField · Aug 12, 2023

bosockboy said:
The Twins moved on from David Ortiz. This stuff happens.

David Ortiz was released in the off season and replaced the next year by a veteran player, Matt LeCroy.

How does this relate to trading your veteran middle infielder and replacing him with a rookie on the roster in the middle of a playoff run?

Milwaukee has decided that having two rookie middle infielders, in the middle of a playoff run, is better than having Urias on the team. Frankly, I don't care what Milwaukee does, but I do wonder if Urias can't crack the Milwaukee roster as a bench guy, can he be a starter in Boston?

Time will tell. Perhaps, and hopefully, Urias goes on a tear and is a huge success this fall. Then we all win.

bosockboy · Aug 12, 2023

BravesField said:
David Ortiz was released in the off season and replaced the next year by a veteran player, Matt LeCroy.

How does this relate to trading your veteran middle infielder and replacing him with a rookie on the roster in the middle of a playoff run?

Milwaukee has decided that having two rookie middle infielders, in the middle of a playoff run, is better than having Urias on the team. Frankly, I don't care what Milwaukee does, but I do wonder if Urias can't crack the Milwaukee roster as a bench guy, can he be a starter in Boston?

Time will tell. Perhaps, and hopefully, Urias goes on a tear and is a huge success this fall. Then we all win.

They traded Hader in a playoff run last year. They often have to think pocketbook first.

bosox188 · Aug 12, 2023

BravesField said:
David Ortiz was released in the off season and replaced the next year by a veteran player, Matt LeCroy.

How does this relate to trading your veteran middle infielder and replacing him with a rookie on the roster in the middle of a playoff run?

Milwaukee has decided that having two rookie middle infielders, in the middle of a playoff run, is better than having Urias on the team. Frankly, I don't care what Milwaukee does, but I do wonder if Urias can't crack the Milwaukee roster as a bench guy, can he be a starter in Boston?

Time will tell. Perhaps, and hopefully, Urias goes on a tear and is a huge success this fall. Then we all win.

Here's how I look at it: for all the recent years in which the Brewers have been a playoff team with a great pitching staff, their offense has been fairly pathetic. If they were any good at evaluating and developing hitters, that wouldn't be the case. The Brewers dropping a hitter to me is the same as the Royals or Rockies dropping a pitcher: intriguing enough to see what happens with an organization that knows what it's doing (relatively speaking).

chawson · Aug 12, 2023

bosox188 said:
Here's how I look at it: for all the recent years in which the Brewers have been a playoff team with a great pitching staff, their offense has been fairly pathetic. If they were any good at evaluating and developing hitters, that wouldn't be the case. The Brewers dropping a hitter to me is the same as the Royals or Rockies dropping a pitcher: intriguing enough to see what happens with an organization that knows what it's doing (relatively speaking).

FWIW, the Brewers also gave up on Orlando Arcia at 26 and he’s become an extremely useful player for Atlanta.

Rovin Romine · Aug 12, 2023

BravesField said:
So I wonder if he is really a serious contender for a 2024 roster spot.

I think the answer is "yes." Meaning he's likely to be in the scrum for what appear to be the two roles that need to be filled: starting 2B and backup MI.

We have six full weeks of regular-season ball to play, which for the players in the minors is a third of a season to show they can take on another role, or show they can master a skill. As the first post indicates, there are many options for who might fit into those roles. It's a long time until opening day 2024. Doubtless we'll have a better take on everyone, including Uiras by then.

Sin Duda · Aug 12, 2023

I know he's unlikely to reproduce this year's performance, but what a year Pablo Reyes is having! That walk-off grand slam has got to be in the inner circle of his baseball career achievements. I hope he can be BrockHolt! for a few years.

chawson · Aug 12, 2023

Sin Duda said:
I know he's unlikely to reproduce this year's performance, but what a year Pablo Reyes is having! That walk-off grand slam has got to be in the inner circle of his baseball career achievements. I hope he can be BrockHolt! for a few years.

He may need his own thread pretty soon. Conventional wisdom is that he’s a JAG playing over his head, but it doesn’t look to be all luck.

Expected wOBA among shortstops, ‘23
Seager - .434
Witt Jr. - .370
Franco - .364
Swanson - .357
Lindor- .355
Crawford - .340
Henderson - .337
Adames - .335
McLain - .334
Kim - .333
Reyes - .333
Neto - .326
Bogaerts - .326
Arcia - .326
Correa - .324

Those are the top 15 in MLB. Of course, Reyes’s numbers are skewed a bit by his incredible 1.121 OPS vs. lefties, but he’s held his own otherwise. His expected wOBA vs. right-handed pitching is .311. For kicks, here’s that same list reorganized by wOBA vs. RHP only.

Seager - .462
Franco - .360
Lindor - .359
Swanson - .357
Witt Jr. - .357
Henderson - .356
Crawford - .353
Adames - .330
Bogaerts - .328
Kim - .324
Correa - .317
Neto - .313
McLain - .311
Reyes - .311
Arcia - .301

So, though it’s been a mere 100 PAs, Pablo Reyes has performed like a Top 15 shortstop, not just by results, but by quality of contact, hard-hit rates, etc.

Can he keep it up? Hard tellin’. But the indicator I like to look at here is chase rate, and Pablo’s been great there. Among 408 MLB players with 100+ PAs this year, he ranks 44th-best in laying off pitches out of the zone, just behind Yandy Diaz.

Plate discipline is great, but is he just a noodle bat? He really hasn’t been. According to Savant, if you add up his batted balls considered Barrels and Solid Contact and divide those by the number of pitches he’s seen, Reyes ranks fourth on the team, behind Devers, (then Story in limited time), Casas and Valdez.

Kind of an interesting player!

Fishy1 · Aug 12, 2023

To add to what @chawson said, he's always been a guy with good plate discipline in the minors, around 10% BB rate when he was coming up. That ballooned to 18% in the minors this year over about 130 PA.

Fascinating guy, really hit pretty well when he was initially coming up and has kind of been all over the place since. Never really has gotten a sustained shot at being a big leaguer and blew his one chance in Pittsburgh back in 2019.

Jack Rabbit Slim · Sep 27, 2023

This may be a harebrained idea, but a couple of separate thoughts connected today and I think there is a sliver of sense in it.

Thought 1:
Yoshida, Rafaela, Abreu, Refsnyder and possibly Verdugo will all be competing for OF/DH at bats. The team needs to add/replace 1-2 RHH power bats to the lineup with OF/DH being the most likely place to do that. The team defense also could use some improvement. Therefore, Duran does not fit into the outfield rotation very well and would probably be best used as part of a trade package.

Thought 2:
Urias and Reyes seem like similar overall players, each with some upside but also significant chance they are sub-replacement level. The "easy" thing is to keep both and have them share/compete for the starting 2B job, but I fear this would just end up with another black hole year at the keystone. The Sox should keep one of the two to play against LHP and acquire someone with a higher floor, ideally a LHH, to platoon with. The free agent options are less than inspiring (led by 35 yo Whit Merrifield) and I have yet to find a good trade candidate that would be both available and enough better than what we have to be worth trading assets for.

Epiphany/Delusion:
Jarren Duran was a 2B before being moved to the outfield, hits left handed, and would leave some semblance of a back up plan in case Rafaela or Abreu struggle. I do not know much about his reputation as an infielder but the Sox Prospects write up says his work at second base "showed soft hands and fluid actions, though athleticism was somewhat wasted." If he can be a part of a trade package for a starter I think that still makes the most sense, but if the SP is addressed via free agency maybe Duran goes back to the dirt.

Red(s)HawksFan · Sep 27, 2023

Jack Rabbit Slim said:
This may be a harebrained idea, but a couple of separate thoughts connected today and I think there is a sliver of sense in it.

Thought 1:
Yoshida, Rafaela, Abreu, Refsnyder and possibly Verdugo will all be competing for OF/DH at bats. The team needs to add/replace 1-2 RHH power bats to the lineup with OF/DH being the most likely place to do that. The team defense also could use some improvement. Therefore, Duran does not fit into the outfield rotation very well and would probably be best used as part of a trade package.

Thought 2:
Urias and Reyes seem like similar overall players, each with some upside but also significant chance they are sub-replacement level. The "easy" thing is to keep both and have them share/compete for the starting 2B job, but I fear this would just end up with another black hole year at the keystone. The Sox should keep one of the two to play against LHP and acquire someone with a higher floor, ideally a LHH, to platoon with. The free agent options are less than inspiring (led by 35 yo Whit Merrifield) and I have yet to find a good trade candidate that would be both available and enough better than what we have to be worth trading assets for.

Epiphany/Delusion:
Jarren Duran was a 2B before being moved to the outfield, hits left handed, and would leave some semblance of a back up plan in case Rafaela or Abreu struggle. I do not know much about his reputation as an infielder but the Sox Prospects write up says his work at second base "showed soft hands and fluid actions, though athleticism was somewhat wasted." If he can be a part of a trade package for a starter I think that still makes the most sense, but if the SP is addressed via free agency maybe Duran goes back to the dirt.

I think I'd rather take my chances with a Urias/Reyes platoon than try to fill the spot with a free agent or trade for yet another 2B. At the very least that gives you solid defense up the middle even if the offense is spotty though I think playing the platoon splits could help the offensive production a bit. Moving Duran to the infield seems like a non-starter. He hasn't played an inning there in five years, and I imagine there's a reason for that. With all the tumult in the middle infield this year, and the overcrowded outfield, he was never tried there even on an emergency basis (but Dalbec and Wong were).

AB in DC · Sep 27, 2023

I would expect Reyes to be the backup at all three infield spots. He's played plenty of innings at all three, and he appears to have Cora's confidence. And his bat is likely better than most team's utility infielder.

Duran at 2B is an interesting idea, but we've got two guys with upside potential already (Urias and Valdez) and hopefully one of them will earn a starting spot in spring training. Duran (or Verdugo) would be more valuable as trade bait.

Harry Hooper · Sep 27, 2023

Given the defensive chops of the two players who will be manning the corners of the IF, I have zero interest in seeing Urias or Valdez at 2B.

Jack Rabbit Slim · Sep 27, 2023

I think there is very real possibility that Duran at 2B is a non-starter but I was curious if anyone remembered his infield reputation from his prospect days. The Sox Prospects write up made it sound like he was moved off of 2B to take advantage of his speed, not necessarily that he couldn't play there.

I can't really see them going with Valdez as anything more than emergency depth since his defense really drags down an already suspect group. I think Urias is pretty solid there though.

If a team really values Duran in a trade then that makes more sense, but if that never materializes then he would be more useful at 2B than OF.

HangingW/ScottCooper · Sep 29, 2023

At this point, I would think anything is on the table including a trade of Story. I sincerely hope the plan is better than this year.

I've said in multiple threads that Kim makes too much sense for this team, but if I'm San Diego and I'm looking to move salary I'd be attaching Kim to Cronenworth or Darvish in a trade.

bosockboy · Oct 31, 2023

JM3 said:
The MassLive folks took a look at the infield today. Will put it here because the only real position of interest in the infield at the moment is 2B.

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2023/10/red-sox-roster-analysis-infield-largely-set-but-2b-dh-questions-linger.html

Tommy Edman is a good trade target.

chawson · Oct 31, 2023

JM3 said:
The MassLive folks took a look at the infield today. Will put it here because the only real position of interest in the infield at the moment is 2B.

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2023/10/red-sox-roster-analysis-infield-largely-set-but-2b-dh-questions-linger.html

I sure wish Whit Merrifield would retire so people can stop wishcasting him to Boston.

From that article:

First, we’ll tackle the second base issue. Urias will almost certainly be non-tendered after an underwhelming showing in two months in Boston…Whit Merrifield, who turns 35 in January and can also play the outfield, is the top available free agent second baseman and would make a lot of sense for the Red Sox on a short-term deal.

2023
Merrifield: 93 wRC+
Urias (with BOS): 98 wRC+

Merrifield is not a particularly good outfielder. He ranks better than Urias at 2B, but he’s nearly 9 years older and is likely to cost well more than the $4.7M Urias is projected to.

I’m not against improvements at 2B but to me there’s nothing on the free agent market that’s more appealing than giving a healthy, 27-year-old Urias another shot.

YTF · Nov 1, 2023

Am I crazy thinking that Jon Berti might be a nice Brock Holt type fit for the team?

HangingW/ScottCooper · Nov 6, 2023

I know Tim Anderson is coming off an awful season but he's intriguing to me. Other trade candidates off the top of my head include: Andres Gimenez (signed through 2027), Ha-seong Kim (signed through 2024 w/2025 option), Brandon Drury (signed through 2024).

As much as I'd love Kim, I think Drury just makes the most sense here. Right Handed bat with a bit of pop that can probably slot into the 6 or 7 hole.

The other option is seek out a Shortstop and move the newly acquired Shortstop or Story to 2B. Options there include (potentially) a subsidized Francisco Lindor (signed through 2031) or Willy Adames (free agent after 2024).

I'm not seeing anyone else jump out as options that wouldn't be anything more than a reclamation project or on par with what we already have.

nvalvo · Nov 6, 2023

HangingW/ScottCooper said:
I know Tim Anderson is coming off an awful season but he's intriguing to me.

He’s had so many injuries (most recently knee and shoulder) but if he’s actually healthy he could be incredible for us.

I wonder if we could be well-positioned, with good MI prospects in the high minors, to bring him in on a bounce-back deal.

When right, he’s a right handed hitter with power and speed and a good defender up the middle. That’s exactly what we need. But is he right?

YTF · Nov 7, 2023

nvalvo said:
He’s had so many injuries (most recently knee and shoulder) but if he’s actually healthy he could be incredible for us.

I wonder if we could be well-positioned, with good MI prospects in the high minors, to bring him in on a bounce-back deal.

When right, he’s a right handed hitter with power and speed and a good defender up the middle. That’s exactly what we need. But is he right?

At this point in time, I think an "if he's healthy" guy is a hard pass, especially in the MI where there needs to be some level of stability this coming season.

Green Monster · Nov 7, 2023

HangingW/ScottCooper said:
I know Tim Anderson is coming off an awful season but he's intriguing to me.

No Thanks

https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/tim-anderson-ripped-chicago-white-sox-fan-poor-teammate-lack-hustle

Archer1979 · Nov 7, 2023

YTF said:
At this point in time, I think an "if he's healthy" guy is a hard pass, especially in the MI where there needs to be some level of stability this coming season.

This is where I am with Tim Anderson and pretty much any more reclamation projects. The concept itself isn't that bad if you can afford the 40 man roster spot. But, at this point, the Sox need players that the expectation is that they will be healthy and not "if". This isn't a small market team and can afford to start making smart choices on where they spend their financial resources.

That said, is second base really where you want to commit decent FA bucks? I'd love for this spot to be filled via a trade with a good bat, better glove.

Petagine in a Bottle · Nov 7, 2023

Anderson also doesn’t play 2b, so to sign him and hand him the SS job, and move Story again seems unlikely. Counting on both these guys to bounce back might be a lot- Anderson has seen his slugging go from 529 to 469 to 395 to 296 the last four years- a lot going on with him and none of it seems good.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/whats-going-on-with-tim-anderson/

chawson · Nov 7, 2023

Green Monster said:
No Thanks

https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/tim-anderson-ripped-chicago-white-sox-fan-poor-teammate-lack-hustle

I don’t think Anderson is a great fit for roster reasons, but this is a blog post by a person(?) with no twitter presence built around a tweet by a single random fan published by a sports media outlet owned by a long-standing parliament member and devotee of India’s extreme right-wing nationalist autocrat Narendra Modi.

Sandy Leon Trotsky · Nov 7, 2023

Priorities really are starting pitcher, starting pitcher, RHH power threat (ideally an OF'er/DH combo which is why Trout seems ideal.... or Tatis). C and 2B both are more than tertiary in importance especially with the depth on the farm at those two spots (including all mL SS's into the 2B mix).

nvalvo · Nov 7, 2023

chawson said:
I don’t think Anderson is a great fit for roster reasons, but this is a blog post by a person(?) with no twitter presence built around a tweet by a single random fan published by a sports media outlet owned by a long-standing parliament member and devotee of India’s extreme right-wing nationalist autocrat Narendra Modi.

This post took a turn LOL.

I guess I’ll just say that I wasn’t exactly envisioning handing Anderson $12m and the starting 2B job. I was more envisioning giving him a split contract with a fairly high guarantee to get him into Ft. Myers, with the understanding that we might just be paying him a couple million to rehab a la Mondesí.

If someone else offers him a starting gig, he’ll take that. But dude was the worst player in the majors last year, unwatchably bad (I know; I watched him) on both sides of the ball. A few years ago he was a plus defender with an OPS starting with .8 for several seasons. He’s not that old.

Green Monster · Nov 7, 2023

chawson said:
I don’t think Anderson is a great fit for roster reasons, but this is a blog post by a person(?) with no twitter presence built around a tweet by a single random fan published by a sports media outlet owned by a long-standing parliament member and devotee of India’s extreme right-wing nationalist autocrat Narendra Modi.

What about this one....
https://nypost.com/2023/08/08/white-sox-shortstop-tim-anderson-was-slapped-by-teammate-yasmani-grandal-before-all-star-break/

Or this one.....
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/jose-ramirez-says-tim-anderson-has-been-disrespecting-the-game-for-a-while-after-players-ignite-brawl/

Or maybe this one...
https://www.sportsmockery.com/chicago-white-sox/baseballs-culture-problem-starts-with-tim-anderson/

Granted I am not saying I know better than anyone else. I am not suggesting Tim Anderson can't/wont be a good player again. IMO, he has too much baggage (real or perceived) to be a good addition to the Red Sox

Red(s)HawksFan · Nov 7, 2023

nvalvo said:
This post took a turn LOL.

I guess I’ll just say that I wasn’t exactly envisioning handing Anderson $12m and the starting 2B job. I was more envisioning giving him a split contract with a fairly high guarantee to get him into Ft. Myers, with the understanding that we might just be paying him a couple million to rehab a la Mondesí.

If someone else offers him a starting gig, he’ll take that. But dude was the worst player in the majors last year, unwatchably bad (I know; I watched him) on both sides of the ball. A few years ago he was a plus defender with an OPS starting with .8 for several seasons. He’s not that old.

Rehab from what, being a terrible player?

If he wants to sign a minor league deal and be like Brandon Phillips circa 2018, fine. But MLBTR predicts he'll be paid $12M by someone this off-season. I don't think the Red Sox need to be any part of that.

What does the Red Sox middle infield look like in 2024?

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