Red Sox News: How free-agent signing Hunter Renfroe fits in Boston

Projecting outfielder Hunter Renfroe’s role with the Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have signed free-agent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to a 1-year, $3.1 million deal with incentives that could push his salary to $3.7 million, reports The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Renfroe, who turns 29 next month, was drafted by the Red Sox in the 31st round in 2010 but they weren’t able to steer him away from his commitment to Mississippi State. His stock shot up significantly during a few successful years at the collegiate level and the San Diego Padres made him the No. 13 overall pick in the 2013 draft.

The career .228 hitter won’t be winning any batting titles and he’s extremely strikeout prone with a career 28.0 K% but he has other desirable traits that can help him carve out a role with the Red Sox.

Renfroe’s bat provides some pop with three seasons in which he tallied 26+ home runs, including a career-high 33 in 2019. That was while playing his home games in San Diego’s pitcher-friendly park so a change in environment could boost those power numbers. The right-handed pull hitter should be able to take advantage of the towering left field wall at Fenway Park, peppering the Green Monster for doubles or hitting the ball out to Lansdowne street.

His track record against left-handed pitching makes him appealing to the Red Sox. Renfroe owns a career .258 average, .912 OPS and 137 wRC+ against lefties, making him an ideal compliment to the left-handed hitting Andrew Benintendi and Alex Verdugo.

Don’t expect Renfroe to join those two to form the new starting outfield trio though. Renfroe isn’t the solution to Boston’s hole in center field. He’s solid at either corner spot and posted a career-high 23 defensive runs saved in time split between left and right field in 2019. The strong defensive rating feels like an outlier based on his past performance and limited sample from this year but he’s at least an above-average defensive corner outfielder.

Red Sox CBO Chaim Bloom has stated a desire for finding a true center fielder. Verdugo proved more than capable of handling Fenway’s challenging right field dimensions so the preference would be to leave him there. Benintendi’s declining speed has led to regression in his defensive performance, making him a poor fit to move to center despite experience at the position in college and the minor leagues.

While addressing the media on Monday, Bloom said that based on the current construction of the roster, Verduo would be the team’s center fielder while Benintendi and Renfroe are both capable of patrolling the position. I don’t buy it considering it contradicts his previous comments and would leave the Red Sox fairly weak defensively. Bloom followed by saying that there’s still room to add another outfielder so expect that to be a stronger defensive solution for center field.

That means Renfroe is likely to be a fourth outfielder who can start in place of Benintendi against left-handed pitching or be utilized as a pinch-hitter. If the Red Sox end up bringing back Jackie Bradley Jr. to fill the center field void, he would be another left-handed bat who Renfroe could spell against southpaws.

Renfroe was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays last offseason and had a miserable 2020, hitting .156 with a .645 OPS. The Rays didn’t use him in a strict platoon role though, giving him nearly twice as many plate appearances against right-handed pitching as he saw against lefties. Renfroe produced a pathetically low 54 wRC+ against right-handers but an above-average 116 wRC+ against lefties.

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Bloom called Renfroe a well-rounded player with upside to more than a platoon player but the numbers don’t support that theory. That sounds like an executive pumping up a free-agent signing while knowing full well that the current outfield options are limited. Expect that to change as the offseason progresses but until Boston adds another option, what else was Bloom supposed to say?

Manager Alex Cora would be wise to limit Renfroe’s exposure against right-handed pitching, although that hinges on other moves the team makes to address the outfield. The Red Sox need to find a viable center fielder to solidify their outfield alignment. Renfroe could thrive as a lefty-masher off the bench who can fill in at a corner outfield spot, similar to the role that World Series MVP Steve Pearce filled for the team in 2018.

Renfroe’s contract is only for one year but he’s technically under team control for up to three years. He wasn’t eligible for free agency until 2024 but Boston managed to scoop him up after the Rays designated him for assignment. If the Red Sox want to keep him around beyond next season then he’ll go through the arbitration process in 2021 and 2022 but they can cut bait before then if he doesn’t pan out. Think of it as a one-year deal with two club options where the salary of those additional years has yet to be determined.

It’s not the splashy free-agent signing we’ve been waiting for but Renfroe has the potential to give this lineup a boost if he’s utilized in the proper role that plays to his strengths.