The season has yet to begin for the Boston Red Sox but they must already begin planning for the future. That means locking down key utility man Brock Holt to a new deal.
We all know that the Red Sox have some serious talent entering the free agency pool in the next few years. With names like Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts, Rick Porcello, and Mookie Betts all coming due in the near future. But one name tends to get overshadowed in the discussion and that is Brock Holt.
Brock has been with the Red Sox since the Winter of 2012 coming to Boston via a trade with the Pirates. Since then he has become a force within the organization and has reinvigorated the role of a utility man. It hasn’t mattered where the Red Sox have needed him, Brock has stepped in and done his best. During the 2018 ALDS, he became the first player to hit for the cycle in the postseason.
At the end of this season, Brock will be a free agent along with Sale, Bogey, and Porcello among others, and he needs to be a focus for Dave Dombrowski. Obviously, Red Sox Nation is more invested and worried about names like Betts, Bogey, and Sale leaving Fenway, but Holt is someone that needs to be recognized for his efforts.
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There was a time in recent years where it felt like Holt may not make the Opening Day roster. Christopher Smith of MassLive reported on how a conversation between Brock and Alex Cora from last Spring. Brock made a point that of asking the skipper about his role in the squad and what his future may hold.
"“We had a little sit down last year just to just to kind of talk about what was going on because obviously you read things, you hear things,” Holt said. “Up until I saw the news and read the rumors, I felt like I was in a pretty good spot. But yeah, baseball’s crazy, man. It’s a crazy game. One minute you’re feeling good about yourself and the next day you can be at the bottom of the barrel.”"
Cora didn’t do much to reaffirm Brock on his position within the team but he may have done something even better. That conversation seems to have lit a fire under Holt and changed the course of his career.
"“He said, ‘Hey, man. We think you’re a good player but we’ve got to play it out and see what happens,’” Holt recalled. “Obviously I wanted to go in there and I wanted him to say, ‘Hey, man. Don’t worry about it.’ But you want to get the truth. I had so much respect for him already. But for him to go in there and be honest with me and just let me know, that’s all you want as a player.”"
Brock would make the 2018 Opening Day roster and the rest is history as far as last season is concerned. But just watching Brock last season and already in this spring training, it’s clear he’s got a new outlook on life.
He seems to be far more relaxed as well as much more of a locker room leader. You can often see him in the dugout trying to hype guys up and he’s one of the first to celebrate a big hit or inning. We all know the other superstars that are coming up for free agency but Brock shouldn’t be forgotten. His ability to be so versatile and adaptable to any game situation makes him an asset the Red Sox can’t afford to lose.
Brock will turn 31 during this season and probably has one more good deal left in him. Not that I see him declining anytime soon but we all know that teams get a little hesitant once a player enters their thirties. I also don’t see him getting as much as some of the bigger named Red Sox players coming up but I do feel he will get rewarded for his service to the team.
I want the team and Dave Dombrowski to do what he has to continue retaining as many members of this team as possible but I also realize that’s a hell of a pipedream. When big deals start getting thrown around it’s hard to sway a player to stay for less. Brock and the city of Boston have a mutual love for one another as the fans appreciate his efforts and he is often doing things in the community.
It will be key for the Red Sox to re-sign Brock Holt either before the season or early in his free agency come 2020. He is a perfect fit for the organization and has fully bought into Alex Cora’s mentality of doing whatever it takes for the sake of the team. Factoring his abilities to go wherever he’s needed and whenever called upon, Brock is incredibly invaluable to Boston. Hopefully, both sides can come to an agreement and we can see Brock suiting up at Fenway for many years to come.