Red Sox should trade Mitch Moreland to make room for Michael Chavis

In order to make room on the roster for top prospect Michael Chavis, the Boston Red Sox should trade away first baseman Mitch Moreland sometime soon.

Fans can accurately speculate what most of the Boston Red Sox dugout is going to look like on Opening Day. Aside from a few potential bullpen surprises, the roster is mostly set in stone. Similar to last season, the lineup is stacked with superstars and veterans who now all have a lot more playoff experience.

The Red Sox are lucky to have a team that is mostly unchanged from the one that won the World Series last year. A slight downside to this, though, is that such a rigid roster blocks any potential prospects from being able to contribute at the major league level with any sort of longevity.

Given Boston’s lackluster farm system, this normally wouldn’t be a notable drawback. Few were even discussing the immediate impact of any minor league position players before spring training started. Even former rising stars like Bryce Brentz and Marco Hernandez have only been talked about as players who could contribute in the short-term if injuries begin to pile up.

Fans were fine with a nonexistent path to the majors for position player prospects this year because none of these prospects really stood out as hitters who could be significant difference-makers in 2019.

That is until Michael Chavis started putting on a clinic in spring training. Through eight games, the Sox’ number one prospect has gone 6-for-17 for a .353 BA with four home runs and 10 RBI’s. This type of success is hardly abnormal for the 23-year-old, who hit .298 with nine home runs and 27 RBI’s in 46 minor league games last year before an 80-game drug suspension put a damper on his otherwise breakout year.

Chavis’s eye-catching performance at the plate is leading some to call for his inclusion on the major league roster, despite the fact that there is no clear spot available on the roster for him.

The youngster has spent the majority of his time at third base but presumably won’t usurp 22-year-old Rafael Devers at the hot corner. The middle of the infield is anchored by Xander Boegarts and Dustin Pedroia, along with backups Brock Holt and Eduardo Nuñez.

That leaves only first base as the somewhat viable option for the explosive minor leaguer to crack the bigs, and even that position already has two capable sluggers splitting time. Still, there is a chance for Chavis to surpass at least one of these players on the depth chart.

Both Steve Pearce and Mitch Moreland are set to become free agents after the season. It is highly unlikely that the Sox will consider retaining both of these players, meaning one of their extremely manageable contacts could be traded for some much-needed bullpen help if Chavis continues to tear the cover off the ball.

World Series MVP Pearce was brought back by the Red Sox in the offseason, implying that he most likely won’t be on the move at any time this season. That leaves Moreland as the odd man out.

The 33-year-old had a fantastic first half last season, earning himself the first All-Star nod of his career. Slumps and injuries plagued him for the second half of 2018, allowing the legend of Pearce to grow with every primetime game. It’s unlikely that Moreland will be able to replicate his first-half success again this season, especially considering his recent compilation of physical ailments.

This isn’t to say that he’s going to be incapable of performing, but it does stand to reason that Chavis can be better. At the very least, Chavis should be given the opportunity to become the first baseman of the future.

In order to do that, the Sox need to get rid of one of their infielders. It’s safe to assume that Devers, Pedroia, and Boegarts won’t be shipped out of town, while Holt and Pearce have become fan favorites in New England. Nuñez could potentially be moved, but he’s much more versatile of a player than Moreland is and therefore can provide much more on defense and the base paths.

Someone needs to go if the Red Sox want Chavis to stay in the majors. Moreland seems like the odd man out. While fans will always appreciate his contributions to this team- particularly his pinch-hit, game-tying home run in Game 4 of the World Series- it appears that his time in Boston may be coming to a close in order to make room for the next man up.