How to deal with the Red Sox’ first base vacancy

Jun 28, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman

(12) reacts after being ejected from the game during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

First base has been an obvious weak point for the Red Sox this season. In the final season of his contract with the Red Sox, Mike Napoli has given the Red Sox below replacement level production, slashing .192/.294/.358 with worse defense than we’re accustomed to seeing from the converted catcher. Given that first base is a high-offense position, with the average first baseman hitting .256/.331/.438, the Red Sox will need to improve on that black hole in their lineup if contention is in order this season.

The only question is how the Red Sox will improve offense at first base, and that might be easier said than done. But oh well, we’ll say it anyways, so let’s start listing Boston’s options on the next slide.

Jun 21, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Boston Red Sox first basemen Mike Napoli (12) at bat against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Option A: Hope Napoli gets better

This option is already outdated, not to mention how ridiculous it will seem by the trade deadline, but the Red Sox theoretically could do this. Napoli has been atrocious at the plate all season long (aside from a scintillating week-long stretch in late May) and that simply isn’t cutting it at first base.

Though his strikeout and walk rates are essentially right on line with his career averages, he has suffered from an abysmal .231 BABIP. Under normal circumstances, that would be an indication of bad luck to this point in the season. However, Napoli’s poor performance this season has clearly not simply been a manifestation of hitting hard liners right at fielders all over the place.

Napoli is posting the lowest isolated power mark of his career and his line drive rate has slipped to a career-low 13.7% this season. Similarly, according to FanGraphs, he has made the least hard contact of his career (27.9% this season versus 34.5% in his career) while making the most soft contact (21.3% versus 14.6%).

The 2015 iteration of Napoli is just not the player we’ve come to know and love. Napoli has become a fan favorite in Boston thanks to his role during the 2013 World Championship, but there’s a time to cut ties and that time is now. Yes, the Red Sox could just sit back and hope he improves, but that’s just not a realistic possibility at this point.

Jul 2, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox left fielder

(13) celebrates with Boston Red Sox third baseman

(48) after hitting a home run during the first inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Option B: Move somebody else to first base

In a vacuum, this would make the most logical sense for the Red Sox. Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval has been horrendous in left field and third base, respectively, this season. In fact, they’ve been so bad defensively that their fielding exploits have overridden their offense contributions to the point that they have been below replacement level, per FanGraphs.

By moving Ramirez to first base, the Red Sox would be able to take him out of the outfield– an experiment that has clearly failed thus far. Similarly, if the Red Sox were to move Sandoval across the diamond to first base, they could place Ramirez at third base, a position that he’s had some experience at least.

On another note, the Red Sox have given longtime designated hitter David Ortiz some time at first base in the past week and he’s yet to embarrass himself there. If Ortiz occasionally filled in at first, the Red Sox would be able to get Ramirez’s glove off the field entirely by DH’ing him.

Unfortunately, we aren’t in a vacuum and this plan might not make as much sense as it appears on the surface. After all, none of these players really has any experience at all at first base and shifting them to a hugely important position halfway through the season could lead to some hiccups down the stretch run.

Plus, perhaps most importantly, none of these three players have really showed any interest at all in moving to first base. In fact, both Ramirez and Ortiz uttered the same two words when asked if they’d consider playing first on a regular basis: “Hell no.” The Red Sox don’t want to drive a rift between the team and three important, longterm players so they’ll likely avoid this option, at least this season.

Jul 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman

(26) fields a ground ball during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Option C: Use Brock Holt at first

This isn’t really an option right now with regular second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the shelf with a hamstring injury. However, once Pedroia returns (likely after the All-Star break), playing Holt everyday at first base could make a lot of sense for the Red Sox.

Holt has proven that he can excel all over the diamond and has some limited experience at first base, most notably last June when he filled in for Napoli during a stint on the disabled list. Plus, though Holt may not be the typical power-hitting first baseman, he’s hit with the best of them this season as he has slashed .293/.379/.418 en route to an All-Star berth.

The Red Sox probably couldn’t actually play Holt at first every single game, just because he would have to occasionally fill in at other positions. However, if the Red Sox used Holt as their starting first baseman while spelling him with Napoli or perhaps Ortiz, they’d likely wind up with significantly better production from first than they’ve had to this point in the year.

Jul 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman

(24) watches his two run home run in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Option D: Acquire a first baseman via trade

While the Red Sox could probably devise a first base solution with their current pieces, whether by shifting Ramirez or Sandoval or by using Holt as their starter, their best bet at landing above-average first base production is through the trade market.

On the open market, the obvious leading candidate to be dealt is Adam Lind. The former AL East foe has had a huge year in his first season in Milwaukee, slashing .297/.378/.521 with 15 home runs, good for a 146 wRC+, with a relatively inexpensive contract and only an $8M team option for next season.

Given his excellent performance, team-friendly contract situation, and place on the Brewers (who are a fairly sure bet to sell at the deadline), Lind is quite likely to be traded in the coming weeks. As a left-handed, power-hitting first baseman, he has an obvious place on the Red Sox and would give them one more big bat for the stretch run.

He might cost a decent prospect or two, but with the Red Sox in dire need of a first base bat and stacked with prospect depth, Boston shouldn’t hesitate to pay the price for Lind (as long as it’s not too outrageous). Building a package around a prospect like Javier Guerra, Michael Chavis, or Deven Marrero could make sense for both the Red Sox and Brewers.

If the Red Sox decide the price for Lind is too high, or the Brewers aren’t interested in trading him (for some reason), Boston could pursue other first basemen but no other names are as intriguing as Lind. If the Red Sox plan on looking outside of the organization, Lind is definitely the way to go.