What should the Red Sox do with their upcoming free agents?
The Boston Red Sox are focused on the regular season and defending their World Series crown. But with several free agents coming due this winter they’ll need to stay focused off the field as well.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the 2018 season was one that the Red Sox and Fenway Faithful will never forget. The team did everything they could in order to keep that squad intact in order to make another run at the Commissioner’s Trophy.
But a poor start to the season has put a damper on the pomp and circumstance that came with winning the World Series. As much as the Red Sox need to focus on what is happening on the field they also can’t afford to take their eyes off the prize when it comes to free agency.
Boston will have a handful of big-name parts of the current roster coming due for free agency this winter and some tough decisions will have to be made about the future of the team. With the ever daunting Luxury Tax looming in the shadows, not every player can be brought back. So without crippling the roster, what big name players should be kept and which can be parted with?
Rick Porcello
Rick Porcello is one of the biggest names that the Red Sox will have to address once this season comes to an end. Porcello has been the foundation of the Red Sox rotation since he arrived in 2015. The big thing with Porcello is his inconsistency when it comes to the quality of his seasons. He is the dictionary definition of a rollercoaster.
His first season in Boston was mediocre at 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA with a 149/38 K/BB ratio. Not the debut he was hoping for I’m sure. But he would follow with a year for the record books as he left 2016 with not only the Cy Young Award but also a league-leading 22 wins.
He also saw positive trends in his strikeouts increasing while his walks decreasing finishing with a 189/32 ratio.
Porcello would continue his trends with the up and down alternating seasons. One thing that always stayed constant was his ability to eat innings when necessary with his lowest season being 172 IP and his highest totaling 223 IP. Now we need to look at the numbers to see whether or not the Red Sox should work to bring him back.
This season Rick will be earning $21.125M and will be turning 31 just after Christmas. We all know that once pitchers turn 30 it’s as if they’re the carriage turning back into a pumpkin at midnight. Some can continue to excel while others hit a wall.
Based on how 2019 has started it feels like Porcello may be the latter of that tale. With his salary and age as well as the inconsistent play I don’t feel that the Red Sox should re-sign Porcello.
Decision: Do not re-sign
Mitch Moreland
Mitch Moreland has only been with the Red Sox since 2017 but he has undoubtedly made an impact. After a long tenure with the Texas Rangers, he packed his bags for Beantown and has seen a bit of a resurgence. He’s now known as “Mitchy Two-Bags” due to his propensity to get extra-base hits.
Moreland will be turning 33 towards the end of the season and doesn’t demand much of a contract in either salary or years. But even at his age and with mileage on the tires Mitch offers plenty to the Red Sox. He is the ideal veteran for an increasingly young Boston team as they head towards the next generation.
With Michael Chavis most likely remaining on the main roster or earning a full-time call up in spring training next season, having Moreland as a backup and mentor will be massive. Plus he can be a huge bat off of the bench for Alex Cora in a pinch-hit scenario.
He’s not only an asset at the plate but also in the field as his defense is top notch among first basemen. If I’m Dave Dombrowski I’m offering Mitch a reasonable short-term deal. Something along the lines of a 2-year/$8M deal that pays Moreland well and doesn’t bury the Sox. Win-Win.
Decision: Re-sign
Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce brought a level of excitement and energy to this Red Sox team last season that helped get them over the edge. He joined the team during the trade window and never looked back. Having grown up a Red Sox fan he finally made it to Boston after playing for every other team in the AL East.
Pearce had his coming out party against the Yankees were he went yard 3 times in the same game. After that, he had a permanent home in the hearts of Red Sox Nation. His heroics wouldn’t stop there as he remained consistent throughout the rest of the season and came through in some big moment.
Then the calendar flipped to October and it was as if he couldn’t get out. After strong showings in the ALDS, he would disappear a bit in the ALCS but would dominate the World Series. After hitting 3 bombs and knocking in 8 RBI against the Dodgers he would not only raise the Commissioner’s Trophy but the World Series MVP Trophy as well. Not a bad day at the office for a journeyman.
Pearce is making similar money to that of Moreland and both play first base, so we have a bit of a logjam. Where Pearce loses out to Moreland is in the age column as he just turned 36.
The Red Sox rewarded him for what he did for the team in 2018 with a new deal for this season but I can’t see them making a similar offer going forward. In my eyes, 2019 will be the end of the road for Steve Pearce with the Red Sox.
Decision: Do not re-sign
Brock Holt
Brock Holt is easily the most liked guy on this team and that’s saying a lot. It seemed like every day during spring training I was reading something about Holt raising the energy and goofing around while in Florida. He brings such a great mentality to the game that he has become the heart and soul of the team.
Brock is a guy that brings a high level of versatility as he can play damn near anywhere Alex Cora needs him to. A few weeks ago while Blake Swihart was still with the team he got a knock from a foul ball and Holt joked with Cora that he wouldn’t be his replacement.
Brock joined the Red Sox through a trade in the winter of 2012 and made his main roster debut in 2013. He would have some ups and downs during his tenure with the club as many do in this game but he always makes the best of his opportunities.
He would have his biggest career moment in the ALDS against the Yankees when he became the first player to ever hit for the cycle in a postseason game. Even better was that he did it in a 16-1 beating of the Bronx Bombers in Yankee Stadium. When asked about the cycle afterward all he could talk about was the team winning and had this childlike excitement to just be in that kind of scenario.
At just 30 years of age, I feel that Brock still has plenty to offer the Red Sox in the future. With his ability to not only play all over the field but to produce when it comes to the plate, he is a big asset to the organization. He can also steal bags once he gets on the base paths which makes him even more dangerous. I think a 4-year/$16M deal is fair as it gives him a pay raise and gives him stability for the next few years.
Decision: re-sign
Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo Nunez has been a reliable member of the Red Sox since he joined back in 2017. He’s primarily been the third baseman but the emergence of Rafael Devers has caused Nunez to become more of a utility man. He’s been called upon to cover second, third, and shortstop while with the Red Sox.
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Though he’ll only be 32 this summer it feels like he’s been in the league for ages, and that’s because he has. He debuted with the Yankees all the way back in 2010. He still plays hard each and every day though as he showed in the postseason when he was diving into the stands to get outs.
But that style of play comes at a price and Nunez has put plenty of miles on his body through his career. I there Eduardo has years left to play but I don’t think they’ll be with the Red Sox. With Tzu-Wei Lin, Michael Chavis, and Devers all young and hungry, there just isn’t much of a place for Nunez.
The Red Sox are looking to get younger with their roster and even though Nunez offers plenty in the way of experience, age isn’t on his side. He very well may get a sweetheart deal from Dombrowski to remain in Boston as a bench player/mentor but I see that as unlikely.
Decision: Do not re-sign
The Red Sox are currently in the midst of digging themselves out of a massive hole to start the season. They have full aspirations to get back to the Fall Classic and raise another banner in Fenway Park. But soon after the season ends they’ll need to get right to work at building the 2020 roster.
Some of the biggest names on the team are coming due this winter and there won’t be much time to rest for Dave Dombrowski and his team in the front office. As much as we as fans appreciate and become attached to the players there just isn’t a way to keep them all on the roster if the team wants to succeed.
They have a deep crop of young talent that is already showing they can step up to the plate and do damage in the big leagues. That may make the decisions a bit easier for the Red Sox as it comes to some of the veteran free agents. With the ability to replace them already there on the roster it eases the pain of then needing to go shopping.
With the Red Sox only getting younger and more versatile I feel Dombrowski is going to either keep the free agent deals to a minimum or even move some of these guys prior to the trade deadline. If Boston wants to keep making it deep into October they’ll need to do business with their heads and not their hearts. It’s not always an easy thing to do but as Michael Corleone said in The Godfather, “It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.”