3 Red Sox players who definitely shouldn’t be back in 2023
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.
