Of all of the potential free agent signings the Red Sox might make this offseason, veteran infielder Whit Merrifield has emerged as maybe essentially the most polarizing.
To some followers including Merrifield looks as if a no brainer. To others he’d be a waste of cash and the Red Sox can be higher off with out him. With such a skinny class of free agent infielders there aren’t many viable options, so the Merrifield query has develop into notably charged amongst sure parts of the fanbase.
So, who’s proper? Should the Red Sox signal Merrifield to take the reins at second base or ought to they steer clear? There are execs and cons to every strategy, so right here’s an argument for and towards bringing Merrifield aboard this winter.
Why Merrifield is sensible
Right now the Red Sox choices at second base embrace rookies Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton and journeyman utility participant Pablo Reyes, who had his moments final season however who has primarily been a minor leaguer all through his profession. None of them are dependable huge leaguers, so bringing in a confirmed veteran like Merrifield might go a great distance in direction of stabilizing Boston’s lineup.
Even approaching age 35, Merrifield stays one of many quickest gamers within the recreation and is coming off a season during which he stole 26 bases for the Toronto Blue Jays. The three-time All-Star additionally batted a decent .272 with 66 runs scored, scored properly above common with a 17.1% strikeout charge, and he’s demonstrated spectacular sturdiness over the course of his profession.
Pairing Merrifield with fellow speedsters like Jarren Duran and Trevor Story would additionally go a great distance in direction of making the Red Sox a way more dynamic, athletic membership, which supervisor Alex Cora has often cited as a aim.
Defensively Merrifield isn’t nice, however he’s not horrible both and the prospect of him and Trevor Story forming a double play tandem each recreation sounds lots higher than the revolving door of inconsistency Boston handled most of final season. We additionally noticed how a lot Story elevated the play of these round as soon as he returned in mid-August, so even an sufficient defensive second baseman who performs day by day might show an enormous improve.
Beyond his match on the sphere, Merrifield would match Boston’s timeline completely. With high prospect Marcelo Mayer anticipated to make his MLB debut sooner or later in 2024, and with different standout infield prospects like Nick Yorke additionally working their approach up, the Red Sox don’t must lock somebody up long-term to probably block their path. Merrifield might in all probability be had for a one-year deal, after which the membership might re-assess and probably hand the keys to Mayer if he’s prepared.
Why the Sox ought to keep away
Beyond his velocity, Merrifield’s instruments aren’t very spectacular and given his age there’s threat his manufacturing might plummet throughout the board subsequent yr.
Last season Merrifield posted a .700 OPS and a 94 OPS+, which interprets to six% worse than the league common of 100. His superior metrics are fairly grim as properly, particularly on the subject of making exhausting contact. According to Statcast, Merrifield ranked close to the underside of the league in anticipated slugging (fifth percentile), barrel proportion (third percentile), hard-hit proportion (2nd percentile) and common exit velocity (1st percentile).
He additionally doesn’t stroll a lot (6.1% stroll charge, nineteenth percentile), so between that and his tendency to hit lots of weak floor balls, Merrifield doesn’t mission as somebody who will get on base sufficient to maximise his velocity. Should the Red Sox actually make investments $7-10 million or extra in a participant like that? Even if it’s just for one yr?
The different choices on the free agent market aren’t notably interesting, however the Red Sox might look to the commerce market to discover a higher match at second base. For occasion, Los Angeles Angels utility man Brandon Drury has one yr, $8.5 million left on his contract and boasts higher energy and protection than Merrifield. There have additionally been rumors of a doable Alex Verdugo for Gleyber Torres swap with the Yankees, although that looks as if extra of a protracted shot.
Again, this isn’t a transparent minimize resolution both approach. Merrifield would test lots of bins for the Red Sox however he comes with actual threat as properly. The one factor that’s sure is that standing pat shouldn’t be an possibility, and whether or not it’s Merrifield or another person the Red Sox must shore up second base to make sure their center infield woes don’t persist into 2024.
Source: www.bostonherald.com