MITCH MORELAND SIGNING
Mitch Moreland is certainly not David Ortiz, but the Red Sox have gotten in the early going exactly what they expected. Moreland has never been a great hitter – expect 20+ home runs, 80 RBI and somewhere in the vicinity of .250. Moreland does offer excellent defense – although he has been unusually sloppy in the early going.
This is a one year deal and the money fits for Boston to keep them well under the luxury tax threshold. What may be expected in the replacement department is Sam Travis, but Travis has hit a wall and not the ball at Pawtucket.
This was – on the surface – a smart move, but the reality is with Ortiz gone the Red Sox did not need some gold plating, but solid gold and that was one of the free agent bats on the market. The Red Sox needed Edwin Encarnacion and a hit on the luxury tax would have been far better than an offense in reverse.
Bottom line – a good signing, but not the right signing.
EARLY GRADE – C+