The start of spring training is only a month away and the Red Sox still have at least one (and possibly) two holes to fill on their roster.
Either through free agency or trade, the Red Sox have to find themselves a middle-of-the-field piece, someone to whom they can entrust either shortstop, second base or center field.
This late in the offseason, the pickings are somewhat slim. The last premium solution on the open market, nomadic infielder Carlos Correa, signed with the Minnesota Twins this past week and while there's evidence to suggest the Red Sox were in contact with him as his second agreement this winter withered on the vine, their efforts were too late in the process to become real bidders. When the Mets' proposal blew up, the Twins were the logical landing spot.
So where do the Sox turn?
Here's a list of potential solutions -- at short, second base, and center field -- that could help the Sox patch and fill for the losses of Trevor Story (elbow surgery) and Xander Bogaerts (free agency), with positives and negatives attached.
SHORTSTOPS
Jose Iglesias (FA)
Iglesias is one of two decent free-agent options remaining. He had a brief reunion with the Sox over the final month of the 2021 season and drew raves from manager Alex Cora, who was impressed with his play and his dedication to his team. Though ineligible for the postseason -- he joined the Sox after the Sept. 1 deadline -- he remained with the team throughout the playoffs. He also improbably had, in an admittedly small sample size, an outstanding month offensively, with a .915 OPS. No one should be expecting a repeat performance of that level of the course of a full season, as his .708 OPS with Colorado last season attests.
Positives: Iglesias would be highly affordable, allowing the Red Sox to keep some room in their budget to add during the season and still remain under the first CBT threshold ($233 million). There's a familiarity factor, too, with Iglesias having been here just 18 months ago, his second stint with the club. And though he's undoubtedly not the player he once was in the field, he should still be able to provide close to league-average defense.
Negatives: As noted, Iglesias is limited offensively. He had a 90 OPS+ last year, meaning he was 10 percent below average at the plate. For his career, he sports a career average of 88+. For a team that has lost two strong middle-of-the-infield bats in Story and Bogaerts, Iglesias would do little to replace that pop. Also, there are questions about his ability to hold up physically over the course of the season; he played just 114 games last year.
Elvis Andrus (FA)
Andrus is an experienced shortstop, with 14 years of service time. After being released by Oakland in mid-August, he signed with the White Sox and played superbly down the stretch, with a .773 OPS and nine homers in 43 games. Andrus would provide know-how and dependability and at 34, can still contribute.
Positives: Given the calendar, Andrus would be in no position to demand much in the way of a base salary, so, like Iglesias, he would be an economical option. Also, like Iglesias, he could probably be had on a one-year deal, clearing the way for Story's return in 2023 without worrying about carrying the dead weight of a contract for an aging infielder. He's played his entire career in the American League and knows the hitters and pitchers well. Despite his age, he's still a threat on the bases, stealing 18 bases in 22 tries last year.
Negatives: Andrus has, predictably, lost a step or three in the field. Although his glovework was better with the White Sox, he had -5 in defensive runs saved with Oakland in four-plus months and the year before, in 2021, was a -10. At this point, hisi range is sub-par, though he can still make the routine play. There's some debate about how sustainable his late-season offensive surge could be. His 17 homers for 2022 were the second-highest total of his career. Was it all about the ballpark? Andrus managed just eight homers in 106 games while playing in pitcher-friendly Oakland.
Ha-Seong Kim (San Diego)
Kim has been pushed out his starting shortstop job by the signing of Bogaerts and the Padres have made it known they'd be willing to move him for the right price. He has a multi-year contract in place with two years remaining (for a total of $17 million) and another two years of team control after that. He'd be, by far, the best defender the Sox could land at this late hour and while he's somewhat limited offensively, has the potential to become a 20-homer bat.
Positives: As noted, Kim is a superb defender, with 10 defensive runs saved at short last year. He's also versatile and could contribute at both second and third base. At 27, he's in the prime of his career. From a financial standpoint, Kim would be a relative bargain and his current two-year deal would match up nicely with the expected arrival of Marcelo Mayer, who should be ready to take over at short by the 2025 season. Win-win.
Negatives: Acquisition cost. While I have proposed a Tanner Houck-for-Kim swap, the Padres apparently see it differently. Yes, they like Houck, but according to some reports, they've insisted on Houck and two or three other prospects. That could just be posturing, since there's not a great January market for middle infielders, so maybe they'll lower their demands in time. A one-for-one deal makes sense. The Sox could probably be convinced to include another non-premium prospect. But a three- or four-for-one trade is simply too high a price to pay.
OUTFIELDERS
Adam Duval (FA)
The Boston Globe reported Friday that the Sox have shown interest in Duval. His signing would presumably mean moving Kiké Hernandez to short, with Duval taking over in center field. Duval would be an intriguing addition at Fenway, where he once enjoyed a three-homer game in Boston while playing for Atlanta. Duval would add some thump to a lineup that could use some -- currently, Rafael Devers and Justin Turner are the only lineup regulars to hit more than 15 homers last season.
Positives: Duvall is considered a good outfielder, having won a Gold Glove in 2021. Also, as noted, he has power, with 38 homers as recently as 2021. Finally, as a righthanded-hitter, he would provide some balance to a Red Sox lineup that projects to have five lefthanded-hitting regulars in the order.
Negatives: At 34, it would appear that Duvall's defensive skills are waning. Last year, playing for the Braves, he was -3 in defensive runs saved in the outfield. Moreover, he's never been much of a bat-to-ball threat, with a lifetime average of .230. He hit just .213 last season and struck out 101 times in 86 games. That swing-and-miss issue goes against the team's efforts to improve the quality of at-bats and emphasize getting on base.
Trent Grisham (San Diego)
Like his teammate Kim, Grisham is on the trade block for the Padres. Obtaining Grisham would mean the Sox would be shifting Hernandez to short. Grisham would give the Red Sox a super defender in the middle of the outfield, which may be necessary since the corner spots (Masatake Yoshida in left and Alex Verdugo in right) could be dicey.
Positives: Grisham won a Gold Glove for his play in center, his second in the last three seasons. He's also reasonably priced from a salary standpoint ($3.1 million in a pre-arbitration settlement). If the Sox are ready to hand Ceddanne Rafaela the center field spot in 2024, Grisham would still have two years of control left and could serve as a nice fourth outfielder.
Negatives: Let's start with the obvious: his .184 batting average was the lowest of any qualified hitter in 2022, and a strikeout-per-game pace doesn't help, either. Grisham would be a lower-third of the batting order addition, though he has shown some power (32 homers combined over the last two seasons). Also, he hits lefthanded, further throwing the right-left balance for the lineup out of whack.
OF/IF
Jurickson Profar (FA)
Profar remains on the free agent market and has played both the outfield and infield. But because he's not a center fielder, it's hard to see him being entrusted with that spot, especially given the concerns with the corner outfielders on the roster. In the infield, Profar would be limited to some second base play, so his signing wouldn't give the Sox full-time solutions at either of their two most pressing needs (center, shortstop). In reality, he'd be protection for Christian Arroyo at second and someone who could supply some at-bats in left or DH.
Positives: Profar isn't afraid to take a walk (73, leading to a decent .331 OBP last season) and in recent years, has developed more power, averaging 18 homers in his last three full seasons. And while he wouldn't necessarily be an everyday piece, his versatility -- he's played everywhere but behind the plate -- would be a welcome addition to the roster.
Negatives: As noted, from an everyday perspective, Profar is far from the perfect fit. But if the Sox were to fill either center or short with someone else whom they could count on as a regular, he wouldn't be a bad pick-up.
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The Red Sox managed to avoid arbitration with all of their eligible players when they came to terms with five players Friday.
Alex Verdugo ($6.3 million), Nick Pivetta ($5.35 million), Christian Arroyo ($2 million), Ryan Brasier ($2 million) and Reese McGuire ($1.22 million) all agreed to terms, a day after the Sox came to terms with reliever Josh Taylor ($1.02 million) the day earlier.
Combined, those signings give the Red Sox a payroll of approximately $183.6 million, according to Baseball Prospectus. That figure includes salary projections for a handful of players who aren't yet eligible for salary arbitration, such as Houck, John Schreiber, Connor Wong and Triston Casas.
From the standpoint of the CBT (competitive balance tax), which includes payments for player benefits, contributions to the pre-arbitration bonus pool and other "hidden'' costs associated with determining a team's payroll, the Red Sox currently stand at $209.4 million, leaving them approximately $24 million to reach the first threshold of the CBT ($233 million in 2023).
That allows the Sox to spend close to $10 million to address their middle-of-the-filed needs, while still leaving another $14 million once the season begin.
Speculation has it that the Sox would like to take the 2023 season as an opportunity to re-set their tax rate over going over last season. Of course, that could be subject to change if the Sox find themselves, improbably, in contention for a playoff spot at the All-Star break, at which point they would presumably be willing to go over the threshold again, regardless of the penalties.