Red Sox: Dave Dombrowski looks to add another bat for 2018
By Sean Penney
Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed to reporters that a run-producing bat is on his offseason wishlist.
Boston Red Sox fans are clamoring for an upgrade to a frustratingly mediocre offense. Not to worry – Dave Dombrowski hears you.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the team’s president of baseball operations confirmed that the Red Sox are in the market to add another bat to their lineup.
"“We would like to add some run production to our club,” said Dombrowski. “How that ends up happening, we’ll see.”"
There are a number of paths the Red Sox could take. Free agency would be the obvious solution given the number of available sluggers on the market. The top bats will be expensive but the Red Sox seem willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold after ducking the line in 2017 to reset the repeater penalties.
Trades are always an option for Dealin’ Dave, although his previous moves have left the Red Sox farm system with few desirable prospects. They may not have the assets to acquire the type of difference-maker they are seeking unless it’s from a team looking to dump a bloated contract. In that case, you wonder if Boston would be better off keeping their prospects and spending on a free agent bat instead.
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After leading the majors in runs scored in 2016, Boston plummeted toward the middle of the pack this season. They ranked dead last in the American League in home runs and outside the top-10 in OPS. The Red Sox never replaced the middle-of-the-lineup power threat they lost when David Oritz retired, instead focusing on pitching upgrades.
With an improved pitching staff still locked in place, the attention this winter should shift back toward the offense.
Dombrowski’s comments seem to imply that the team isn’t content simply to re-sign Mitch Moreland and Eduardo Nunez to run back the same starting lineup they finished 2017 with. This could mean that they are prepared to move on from one or both of those hitters in order to bring in someone new that they deem to be an upgrade.
Boston could also look to move around other pieces, such as trading center fielder Jackie Bradley, to open up a spot to bring in another power bat.
If Dombrowski strikes out on his top free agent or trade targets then he could look for more short-term values, similar to the one-year deal that brought Moreland to town this season. That could potentially save payroll space to spend big on a superior free agent class in 2019.
Next: Reclamation projects who could add rotation depth
The natural progression of their young players and a full season of Rafael Devers will go a long way toward improving the Red Sox offense, but they need more than that. It won’t necessarily be the big splash we’re hoping for but expect Dombrowski to work on adding a bat that will improve this lineup for next season.