Ever since Xander Bogaerts departed as a free agent, the Red Sox have noted that while Kiké Hernandez would be fully capable of handling shortstop for the team, the club preferred to keep him in center field.
That, apparently, is close to changing.
According to a number of reports, the team is close to signing outfielder Adam Duvall to a contract with an eye toward having Duvall become the more-or-less everyday center fielder with Hernandez moving to the infield.
Duvall would give the Red Sox a righthanded bat in the outfield, which now includes to lefty-swinging corner outfielders -- Masataka Yoshida in left and Alex Verdugo in right field. Duvall also has some power, having hit 38 homers as recently as 2021. He was limited to 12 homers in 2022, when he missed most of the second half with a fractured wrist.
Duvall, who has played more corner outfield spots in his career, can handle center,, too, the Red Sox believe.
Signing Duvall would enable the Sox to then move Hernandez to one of two infield spots -- second base or shortstop. If Hernandez becomes the shortstop, the Sox would presumably need a lefthanded-hitting middle infielder to platoon with Christian Arroyo at second base. If Hernandez were to take over at second, the Sox would then still be in the market for a shortstop.
The free agent class still includes Jose Iglesias or Elvis Andrus. There are several trade options, too, including San Digeo's Ha-Seong Kim.
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In a move that improves their catching depth in a big way, the Red Sox signed veteran receiver Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal Monday, a move first reported by MassLive.com.
Alfaro, 29, spent last season with San Diego, where he slashed .246/.285/.383 in 82 games with seven homers and 40 RBI. He's spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues with Philadelphia, Miami and San Diego.
The deal can pay Alfaro $2 million in the big leagues. He has opt-outs in his deal for June 1 and July 1, enabling him to become a free agent if he so chooses providing the Red Sox have not promoted him to the big leagues.
Over the course of his major league career, Alfaro has thrown out 26 percent of would-be base stealers.
Alfaro has a real hit-or-miss aspect to his offensive profile, with a career K Rate of 34.1 percent. But he provides an experienced catcher in the event something happens to the health of either Reese McGuire or Connor Wong, or if Wong can't solidify himself as a major league-caliber catcher.
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The Red Sox Tuesday traded pitcher Connor Seabold to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for either cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Originally obtained as part of the four-player deal that sent relievers Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman to the Phillies for Nick Pivetta and Seabold.
In four starts for the Red Sox in 2022, Seabold was 0-4 with an 11.29 ERA. Seabold's performance dipped after he experienced an elbow injury early in the 2021 season and his velocity never returned after that setback.
Seabold was designated for assignment last week when the Red Sox needed a 40-man roster spot for the addition of free agent starter Corey Kluber.