Red Sox: What if Boston never traded for Eduardo Nunez?

BOSTON, MA - JULY 29: Eduardo Nunez
BOSTON, MA - JULY 29: Eduardo Nunez
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The Boston Red Sox were in need of infield depth especially at 3rd base with the release of Pablo Sandoval – was the price for Eduardo Nunez worth it?

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BOSTON, MA – JULY 29: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox had one major hole each game this season. For those unsure or for those who have not had the opportunity to watch as many games, that hole was at third base.

No one could stay healthy or manage to field the position properly. Pablo Sandoval was the biggest aggravation on the team and after being given his release, he now finds himself with the team that laughed him out of town. Ironic really. The team needed a quick resolution.

Dave Dombrowski has never been shy about making trades. Prior to the 2017 season, Dombrowski pulled the switch on a trade for Chris Sale, sending future phenom Yoan Moncada and flame throwing righty Michael Kopech to the  Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox were in the midst of a playoff run with the Yankees clear on the their tails and still no clear cut person selected to be the official third baseman for the squad. Insert Eduardo Nunez.

While Nunez isn’t the sole third baseman, he’s made his impact known and has manned the hot corner several times for Boston so far. Nunez was heating up for San Francisco, but the Giants found the impending free agent expendable with their team completely out of contention. This allowed the Red Sox add the infielder to their lineup.

Originally deemed the utility man, Nunez has slowly played his way into a starting role daily. Defense isn’t his strongest suit, getting on base is. With that being said, was the trade for the two the prospects worth it?

MILWAUKEE, WI – JUNE 05: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – JUNE 05: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Eduardo Nunez in San Francisco

Nunez was getting it done while playing in San Francisco. They were not in the playoff hunt and with his being a free agent before the 2018 season, if they could at least get something for him it would be worth it. Assuming he kept on playing the way he had been earlier, then it made sense hypothetically that he’d be looking for a contract worth multiple years and worth a decent amount. The Giants were not looking like they were willing to make such a commitment.

Naturally the 30-year old utility player with the ability to play multiple positions in the infield and outfield was going to go to a team that was desperate for a third baseman. Welcome to Boston.

Nunez slashed .308/4/31/18 over the course of 76 games with the Giants this season. He drew walks and was also a threat to steal making him a nightmare for opposing pitchers. He wasn’t just the type of guy to only steal second base either, this guy could snag third base as well!

Before getting traded from San Francisco, his numbers only increased from July forward. Here were slash lines from the past two months:

May
Batting Average:     .307
Home Runs:              3
Runs Batted In:       11
Stolen Bases:           8
Doubles:                    7

June
Batting Average:     .361
Home Runs:              2
Runs Batted In:        8
Stolen Bases:           4
Doubles:                    6
July
Batting Average:     .354
Home Runs:              0
Runs Batted In:        6
Stolen Bases:           1
Doubles:                    4

Nunez was one of the best hitters as far as getting on base went. For the two prospects that it cost the Red Sox, one can only wonder now why Travis Shaw and three other prospects were required in acquiring the services of Tyler Thornburg. Shaw should have been plenty.

What has Nunez done so far since coming to Boston in both the tale end of July and the first week of August? Before we discuss his stats in Boston, we’ll go over the prospects the Giants got as part of the deal for Nunez. We’ll see if it looks like the Red Sox botched the deal or made out in it.

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 18: Dave Dombrowski (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 18: Dave Dombrowski (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /

Shaun Anderson before getting traded to Giants

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Shaun Anderson is a 22-year old pitcher playing in high A ball now for the Giants. Before being traded, Anderson posted a 3-0 record with a 2.79 ERA in seven games as a starter. He also struck out 37 batters over 38 2/3rd’s innings pitched. Since the trade, Anderson has a 1-1 record in two games. His ERA is 3.68 and he has surrendered five runs, three earned in 7 1/3rd innings pitched.

While he isn’t 18 years old anymore, there is still hope inside the organization that he can materialize into a starter with a little more seasoning. If he doesn’t pan out over the next couple seasons one of three things will happen. Anderson could potentially be a part of a trade to another club, he could get converted to a reliever, or the nightmare scenario, never make it out of the minors. Only time will tell if he can make the adjustments necessary to be successful.

Gregory Santos before getting traded to Giants

Gregory Santos was the second piece acquired by the Giants in the Nunez deal. Santos is only 17 years old and has posted great numbers while playing in the Dominican Summer League. Before the big trade in 2016 he posted a 3-3 record with a 4.17 ERA with 25 K’s in 41 innings pitched. After making some tweaks for 2017, he has improved drastically to the tune of a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and has 29 strike outs in 34 innings pitched.

Of the two players, Santos has the higher upside primarily based on age at the moment. While both have the opportunity to shine for an otherwise underwhelming minor league system, you should keep your eyes on this youngster in the future.

With those stats in mind, we have to take a look at Nunez in Boston. Was he worth it?

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 1: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 1: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Eduardo Nunez in Boston

As soon as Nunez came to Boston he made an immediate impact. In the tail end of July as a member of the Red Sox, Nunez had 8 hits in 15 at-bats. Three of the four games he played in involved him having multi-hit games. He also had a multi-homer game in just his second game with the Sox. In July he slashed .533/2/5/2 in just four games. August brought on more success as well. In five games in August, he once again has three multi-hit games.

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Nunez is slashing .348/2/7/1 so far through the month of August. The Sox haven’t lost this month with Nunez in the line up and are 7-1 in their last eight contests with him in the line up. After losing the lead to the Yankees in the American League East, the Sox have come roaring back to stand atop the division with a current major league best six game win streak. It looks like as long as Nunez keeps this up, the Sox can do no wrong.

While he’s had help from other players on the team, there’s no denying that his bat has made a huge difference for the power struggles on the rest of the team. Nunez was brought on to be a guy to get on base and steal a base here and there. He ended up being the guy that can get on base, steal bases, hit home runs, and play above average defense. The Sox added Nunez for two guys that haven’t even made it to Double-A yet.

Was this a complete steal?

BOSTON, MA – JULY 31: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – JULY 31: Eduardo Nunez (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Verdict?

It’s safe to say that the Red Sox got Nunez at a relatively low cost. There’s no saying how good Nunez can be in 2017 and if the stars align the right way, there’s a chance that he might want to stay in Boston. Who wouldn’t want to stay in Beantown with the rookies coming up over the next couple years?

After starting the season off with a few question marks, it looks like the Red Sox have finally found one of the missing pieces to their puzzle. That feeling of a long and dreadful infielder situation has quickly dissipated. Nunez was just what Boston needed to turn the page and start making their run towards the postseason.

Prior to the season, the Red Sox and Houston Astros were the favorites and after the All-Star break, these two teams once again look like the two best squads in the league.

Next: Red Sox: What if Boston never traded for Dave Roberts?

Stay tuned for the next “What If” article coming next week.

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