Red Sox Rumors: Utility man Hernan Perez could be a trade target
By Tyler Mason
With Spring Training around the corner, should the Boston Red Sox trade for utility man Hernan Perez to add depth to their lineup?
The Boston Red Sox seem to have their roster pretty much set. Their starting rotation is one of the best in best baseball on paper and their bullpen seems to be more dangerous than last season.
But could their offense use another bat?
After trading away Travis Shaw for right-handed pitcher Tyler Thornburg from the Milwaukee Brewers, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to work out another deal with them by trading for Hernan Perez.
MLB lead writer for Bleacher Report Zachary D. Rymer discussed the possibility of the Sox trading for Perez and how it would be smart for the Brewers to do it now than later.
"“All this makes the 25-year-old an asset for the Brewers.” Rymer said. “But since they don’t have a place to play him in 2017, there’s a risk of his trade value diminishing over time. Rather than risk that, the Brewers could be willing to offload him now.”"
The 25-year old struggled from 2012-2015, but after coming out of his shell by hitting .272/.302/.428 in 2016, he would be great addition to increase not just the offensive depth, but the defensive depth as well for the Sox.
Rymer continued to talk about his versatility on the field and how he would be great addition to the bench.
"“On the Red Sox, Perez could take Josh Rutledge‘s roster spot and essentially be a right-handed-hitting version of Brock Holt.” Rymer said. “And since he’s most experienced as a third baseman in the majors, he would also be an intriguing Plan B for Pablo Sandoval in case his weight loss doesn’t translate to a return to form.”"
Rymer made a great comparison with Perez being the right-handed-hitting version of Brock Holt. If you look at Perez’s defensive stats from last season, he played every position on the field except for pitcher and catcher. If Perez and Holt were to play together, this would give manager John Farrell many opportunities to give everyday players days off.
And it’s not like Perez is a bad defender. Rymer mentioned how Perez’ hard work is beginning to pay off with his recent awards, which include a Gold Glove in the Venezuelan winter league.
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Time will only tell if President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will make one more move before Spring Training begins. But if he wants to, Perez should definitely be on his radar.