In a perfect world, the Red Sox would be set at second base for the next few years with Dustin Pedroia locked up through 2021. Sadly, that’s not the world we live in. How much faith can we have in the 35-year old to be an everyday player at this stage of his career?
Re-signing Gold Glove winner Ian Kinsler is an option, although his age and decline are concerns as well. Eduardo Nunez is back for another season but his defense at second base made him a liability. Brock Holt is best served in a utility role where he can be moved around the diamond. These are underwhelming short-term solutions the Red Sox could turn to if Pedroia can’t return to form and without a second baseman ranked among their top-20 prospects, it may be time to look for a long-term solution.
Enter Merrifield, who isn’t exactly young considering he’ll turn 30 before next season but he is under team control until 2023. The Kansas City Royals are years away from contending and should be open to moving one of their few remaining chips while he still has value.
Merrifield set career-highs with a .304 average and .806 OPS while leading the league with 192 hits and 45 stolen bases. His bat provides a modest amount of pop with 43 doubles this season and he’s only a year removed from a career-best 19 home runs. He’s an above-average defensive second baseman with the versatility to move around to a few other positions.
He was never a top prospect and nothing from his minor league track record suggests Merrifield would become the player he is now. Perhaps he’s a late bloomer but the Royals would be wise to sell high while they can. A couple of mid-tier prospects plus a major-league ready contributor such as Blake Swihart or Sam Travis could be enough to interest the Royals.