The Red Sox brought back Mitch Moreland on a two-year deal this week. What does that mean for the future of the first base position in Boston?
When the Boston Red Sox entered the 2017 offseason, they had high hopes. Many believed that Giancarlo Stanton was a realistic goal, but that never materialized. The front office tried to acquire Marcell Ozuna, Shohei Ohtani, and Carlos Santana, but those were failures also.
So on Monday, the Red Sox opted for what seemed to be a backup plan. They signed Mitch Moreland to a very team-friendly two-year, $13 million deal.
Many clamored for Eric Hosmer, but the combination of money and years he was looking for would not have fit for the Red Sox. Santana, who joined for the Phillies, was supposed to be a bargain option, but he ended up signing for $20 million per season.
At the end of the day, Red Sox fans should not look at Moreland as the counter to Stanton. They should view it as a good move, that gives Boston full flexibility in the long run.
Moreland had a decent 2016 by most standards. But when you look at what he played for in 2016, you could argue that he overachieved. He signed for $5 million last offseason and was one of Boston’s best power bats with 22 home runs.
But when you dive even deeper into the stats, they show that Moreland was even better than the stats suggested. He battled a broken toe for a good majority of the summer, and his dip in averages showed.
Red Sox Stats on Twitter pointed out how severely that broken toe played a part in Moreland’s lack of production in the summer months.
Moreland started 2017
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) December 18, 2017
285/382/495, 128 wRC+
Broken toe and aftermath 6/15-7/26
154/227/239, 20 wRC+
Finished up
260/323/514, 115 wRC+
Moreland was on track to be a .275 hitter with a .800 OPS, which would have landed him a huge pay-day. The Red Sox got away with a huge steal getting Moreland for such a cheap price.
How does this contract give the Red Sox flexibility?
With the deal that Moreland got being only two years, and being so team friendly, Boston could do a lot with this deal.
On one end, if Moreland overachieves, the Red Sox will have a great first baseman on a cheap deal. If Moreland underachieves, the contract is so small that it can be flipped to a team looking for a strong backup.
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Moreland was a decent offensive first baseman in 2016, but his defense was even better. The defense is not something that will fluctuate as much as his bat will. If there is a team who feels they are close to a title, they could trade for Moreland, and allow him to start against right-handed pitchers.
The price of the contracts gives the Red Sox plenty of options to do, no matter how Moreland plays. The length of the contract also gives the Sox some wiggle room.
When the contract is up in two years, Boston will have Rafael Devers, who will be 23 at the time, at third base. There were already talks that Devers would be making the leap to first base this offseason, but the talks could be even hotter next year.
In two years, Devers can make the move over to first, and give the Red Sox room to sign a guy like Anthony Rendon, who has quietly been a star in Washington.
Moreland could also come back on another deal in two years to help Devers transition at first.
Related Story: Finding a trade partner for Hanley Ramirez
The front office in Boston finally made a move, and it was the right one. Bringing back Moreland provides veteran leadership and flexibility at first base. Something the Red Sox could use big time.
If the Red Sox make a big move, make sure you come back to BoSox Injection for a full breakdown!