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5 Red Sox non-tender candidates with uncertain futures

By Gabrielle Starr |
Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Yu Chang (12) throws the ball to first base for an out during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Yu Chang (12) throws the ball to first base for an out during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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Who will the Boston Red Sox non-tender at the November 18 deadline?

By November 18, MLB teams will decide which pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players will be tendered contracts.

For arbitration-eligible players, such as Rafael Devers, the actual salary will be determined later. In cases like his, it’s simply a formality to protect players.

Several Boston Red Sox players are locks to be tendered, including Devers, Christian Arroyo, Nick Pivetta, and Alex Verdugo. Other players’ futures are murkier and quite uncertain. There were several underperformers on the 2022 team who are taking up valuable roster spots.

Here are five non-tender candidates:

Ryan Brasier

Ryan Brasier is like a cat, except instead of nine lives, it feels like he’s had nine seasons.

Brasier was a standout in 2018 but never got even remotely close to that level of dominance again. It’s also worth noting that he only pitched 33 2/3 regular-season innings that first year. Between 2019-22, he has a 4.82 ERA over 169 appearances, including 29 games finished and eight saves. He barely pitched in 2020 and 2021, totaling 37 somewhat passable innings of work, and 2022 was his worst season yet; over 68 appearances, he posted a career-worst 5.78 ERA, and opposing batters hit .280/.312/.481 against him.

While Brasier improved in his final appearances of the season, the Sox were already dead and buried. They needed him to be able to pitch in high-pressure situations, and he struggled with that all year long.

This is Brasier’s final year of arbitration and he’ll be 35 next year. He’s only projected to earn $2.3M, but is that affordable salary worth the roster spot? No. It’s long past time to cut the cord and raise the standard for Boston bullpen arms.

Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Yu Chang (12) throws the ball to first base for an out during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Yu Chang (12) throws the ball to first base for an out during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Yu Chang

Yu Chang played for four organizations this season, which could be viewed as an endorsement of what he brings to the table. He also didn’t stick with any of the first three teams, and might not stick in Boston.

Chang did well when the Sox claimed him off waivers towards the end of the season, they just shouldn’t have room for him if their infield is healthy and they do what they need to do this offseason: pay Devers and Xander Bogaerts. Still, Chang costs next to nothing – his projected arbitration salary is barely above league minimum – and offers a lot of defensive depth. He’s exactly the kind of player a Tampa Bay Rays guy like Chaim Bloom keeps around.

Franchy Cordero

Franchy Cordero thrives in Triple-A Worcester but hasn’t been able to make it work consistently at the big-league level. He’s had some incredible moments, like his walk-off grand slam this year, but on the whole, it’s unclear if he’ll ever be a truly dependable everyday player.

Heading into his second year of arbitration, it’s not so much about how much Cordero will cost the Sox, but whether or not his affordability balances out the roster spot he occupies.

Thankfully, the Andrew Benintendi trade still isn’t a complete wash if the Sox end up non-tendering Cordero; Josh Winckowski showed promise in his debut season.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 16: Darwinzon Hernandez #63 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 16, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 16: Darwinzon Hernandez #63 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 16, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Darwinzon Hernandez

Darwinzon Hernandez barely pitched at the big-league level this season, but the work he did do wasn’t pretty. Over just 6 2/3 innings in the majors, he allowed 16 earned runs. That’s not a typo. 17 runs, 16 of them earned, on 14 hits. He struck out nine batters, but walked eight.

Over three prior seasons, Hernandez posted a 3.66 ERA across 78 2/3 innings, and he’s got some great strikeout material. The killer with him is that he issues walks with about the same frequency as New Englanders buying a coffee at Dunkin. He has a career 17.7 BB%; the MLB average is 8.5%.

Hernandez isn’t arbitration-eligible until next year, so the Sox could keep him around simply because he’s so affordable. It’s just so hard to watch him pitch.

Josh Taylor

Injuries kept Josh Taylor on the sidelines for the entire 2022 season and now, he could be on the chopping block.

Over the first three years of his big-league career, Taylor had a 3.69 ERA across 121 appearances, including 21 games finished and one save. He pitched fairly well in 2021, posting a 3.40 ERA over 47 2/3 innings (61 appearances), only allowing two home runs all year. Taylor is an above-average pitcher in terms of strikeouts and limiting home runs, but he has struggled to limit walks, with a career rate of 10% (league average is 8.7%).

Taylor is estimated to earn $1.1M in arbitration this year, which is small potatoes for this powerhouse organization. Still, every million counts when you have some big spots to fill, especially if the Sox are going to try and stay under the luxury tax threshold this year so that it resets after last year’s futile spending spree.

The Sox might not be ready to give up on him yet, but there is a chance.

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