Boston Red Sox: Five free-agents who must be avoided
By Sean Penney
Red Sox must avoid Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien is one of the top position players in this year’s free-agent class but he’s not a priority for the Red Sox.
Semien had a breakout year in 2019 when he hit .285 with a .892 OPS and 33 home runs to finish third on the AL MVP ballot. His 8.9 WAR ranked third among major league position players.
Teams would have lined up to acquire the Oakland A’s shortstop if he hit the market last year but interest might be on the decline after Semien regressed in essentially every area this season. He hit a meager .223 with a .679 OPS. His seven home runs put him well below the pace to match last year’s career-high total. Considering he hit no more than 15 home runs in five of his first six career seasons, 2019 looks like an outlier.
Semien showed significant improvement in the field in recent years, producing 26 defensive runs saved combined between 2018-19. However, his -5 DRS this season suggests he’s back to being the fairly mediocre shortstop we saw for most of his career.
Besides, the Red Sox are already set at shortstop with Xander Bogaerts. In fairness, Bogaerts wasn’t any better defensively this year and he’s been below-average or worse for his entire career as far as the DRS metric is concerned. That’s not the reason to be skeptical about targeting Semien though. Bogaerts has emerged as the new clubhouse leader and face of the franchise. Asking him to switch positions to make room for a flashy free-agent signing would risk upsetting the team’s chemistry.
His defensive limitations might eventually force the Red Sox to discuss a position change with Bogaerts but they shouldn’t ask him to give up playing shortstop unless it’s for a clear upgrade. If they want to go down that route, wait for next offseason when Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Trevor Story hit the market. Bogaerts might be more open to the switch if it means being teammates with one of those star shortstops.