3 Red Sox players who definitely shouldn’t be back in 2023
Bobby Dalbec
Bobby Dalbec was such a promising part of this team’s future two years ago, but consistency never materialized at the big-league level.
The 27-year-old has played 273 games since his 2020 debut but what’s concerning is that he’s actually gotten worse at the plate. Over 133 games in 2021, he hit .240/.298/.494 with 21 doubles and 25 homers. He struck out 156 times and only drew 28 walks, but the power was impressive.
In 2022, he appeared in 117 games and hit .215/.283/.369 with only nine doubles and 12 home runs. His ISO dropped by 99 points; his OPS by 140. While there was marginal improvement in his plate discipline, his 33.4% strikeout rate is way above league average (22.9%).
The offensive problems are bad enough, but really, it comes down to the fact that there isn’t room for him in the infield. He came up playing third but moved to first because of Rafael Devers, who almost certainly isn’t going anywhere for a while. The Sox also acquired Eric Hosmer at the deadline, and his four Gold Gloves make him a far more appealing infielder. And of course, Triston Casas made his debut in September, and he’s already a pretty stellar all-around player.
It’s gotten so crowded that the Sox actually had Dalbec learning second base late in the season, but that in itself speaks volumes about how much he’s been phased out. Sources actually indicated that the Sox were going to trade him months ago, but Casas’ ankle injury in Triple-A derailed that plan.
Ultimately, this isn’t so much about Dalbec’s shortcomings as it is about the fact that he will get more playing time elsewhere. His value is lower now, but he’s still club-controlled and has a lot of potential. If the Sox are putting together a trade package this offseason, he could very well be part of it.
Ryan Brasier
Ryan Brasier is entering his final year of arbitration, but he’s also coming off the worst season of his six-year career. Over a career-high 68 appearances, he posted a 5.78 ERA and 1.299 WHIP.
It’s hard to compare different seasons of Brasier’s career, as he’s only exceeded 33 innings twice; his innings total this year comprises about a third of his career total. Really, it’s hard to get a handle on Brasier’s issues, period. 46 of his appearances were scoreless, but nine times, he allowed 2+ earned runs and 4+ four times. His walk % was the lowest of his entire career and well below league average, but opposing batters gave him the worst batting average and slugging percentage of his time in the majors.
The Sox could likely get Brasier for pennies in arbitration, but is the affordability worth the liability? In five save opportunities, he blew four. Right down to the final game of the season, Brasier was giving up earned runs.
If the Sox are serious about contending in 2023, he shouldn’t be on the team.
