The Red Sox addressed their largest want earlier than Major League Baseball’s commerce deadline on Tuesday night, and for that, Chaim Bloom deserves credit score.
“A bunch of our folks are heading out for adult beverages right now and they deserve it,” Bloom mentioned round 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, simply after the Sox acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer from the San Diego Padres in his solely transfer on Deadline Day.
But earlier than the celebrations within the entrance workplace start, let’s take a second to marvel why it took the Red Sox so lengthy to get right here, and what they failed to perform on Tuesday.
There have been no bullpen additions. Instead, Bloom despatched lefty Jake Diekman, a flamethrower with a wipeout slider who had lately began getting high-leverage alternatives, to the White Sox.
The Red Sox downgraded at catcher. Reese McGuire and Kevin Plawecki would be the tandem going ahead, a steep drop from Christian Vazquez, who had been hitting second as one of many Sox’ finest contact hitters for the higher a part of the summer season.
And they could have misplaced the clubhouse, with Xander Bogaerts telling reporters in Houston that the Vazquez commerce definitely didn’t make the workforce higher.
Did it make Bogaerts query the path of the franchise?
“If you ask me, yeah,” he advised reporters. “No one saw that coming…. Yesterday was really tough.”
Fortunately the Red Sox have been in a position to improve at first base, which has blatantly and persistently been their most evident space of want since Mitch Moreland was traded in 2020.
What’s exceptional is that it went unaddressed for thus lengthy.
Just final Monday, Bobby Dalbec struck out twice with runners in scoring place to proceed a disturbing sample: Dalbec had been among the many sport’s worst hitters with runners in scoring place.
Dalbec has simply 17 RBIs in 90 plate appearances with runners in scoring place, a mean of .19 RBI/PA.
Compare that with the typical MLB first baseman, who collects .34 RBI/PA with runners in scoring place, and the Red Sox clearly have an enormous gap at an necessary offensive place.
If the Sox had simply a mean first baseman in these 90 PAs, they’d have pushed in 14 extra runs in these conditions this 12 months.
That won’t sound like a lot however 14 runs is loads when you think about the Sox have misplaced six video games in further innings this 12 months. They’ve performed 30 video games determined by one run. They’ve been a middle-of-the-road group that lives on the margins and spent far too lengthy with out a competent first baseman.
Between Dalbec and Franchy Cordero, the Sox have had MLB’s worst defensive tandem on the place. According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox rank thirtieth in MLB with negative-10 defensive runs saved.
Start including up all of the methods the Sox have failed on the place and it’s exhausting to not suppose this workforce might’ve been in full-buy mode if they’d addressed first base sooner.
In spring coaching, maybe? Or mid-season, when the Mariners acquired Carlos Santana? Or earlier in July, when the Mets acquired Daniel Vogelbach?
The Sox sat on their arms and watched as Dalbec and Cordero continued to harm them on a nightly foundation.
Bloom admitted as a lot Tuesday, when he mentioned, “I’m not saying anything that’s not obvious: we have struggled to find stability at the first base position this year.”
Hosmer is an acceptable substitute.
He’s not the elite hitter he was throughout his closing season with the Kansas City Royals in 2017, however he’s nonetheless a slightly-above-average hitter, a World Series champion and a four-time Gold Glove winner at first base who ought to convey constant, skilled at-bats and supply some much-needed calmness at a key infield place.
“I think he’s going to really enjoy our environment,” Bloom mentioned. “I think he’s going to love Fenway Park and hopefully he can help us make a push.”
The Padres are sending two different low-ranked prospects and consuming all of Hosmer’s remaining wage. In trade, they obtained the Sox’ No. 13-ranked prospect, former first-round choose Jay Groome, a 23-year-old lefty who has lastly began to achieve traction in his fifth minor league season.
Hosmer will present the Sox with knowledgeable first baseman for no less than the subsequent 3 1/2 seasons, and supply some leeway for prospect Triston Casas, who might supplant Hosmer if he struggles or discover a extra pure match at designated hitter, the place there can be a gap if the Sox don’t re-sign J.D. Martinez within the offseason.
Simply put, this was a commerce the Sox wanted to make.
It’s exhausting to not marvel what would’ve been of the 2022 season had first base been correctly addressed a very long time in the past.
So right here we’re, with the Red Sox getting into the house stretch of the season with out their beginning catcher, however lastly having addressed their largest want. They have a 29% likelihood to make the playoffs, in keeping with FanGraphs. They entered Tuesday three video games again of the Mariners for the third Wild Card spot.
The Sox’ roster stays flawed, however it’s adequate to make the postseason.
They weren’t all-in on the deadline, however no less than they weren’t sellers.
As regular, they’re someplace in between.
Time for these grownup drinks.
Source: www.bostonherald.com