The Boston Red Sox are considering addition by subtraction, and Bobby Dalbec is reportedly on the trade block.
Dalbec was a promising Sox prospect just a few years ago, but has struggled to find consistency and success since his September 2020 debut. Chalk some of his issues up to the fact that he’s really a third baseman who’s been marooned at first base due to a certain cherubic superstar. With Rafael Devers patrolling the hot corner, the Sox have used Dalbec at first and even a bit at second, but it seems they’re ready to find him a new home.
On Monday, Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal reported that the Sox have told teams Dalbec is available, and they already have an interested party: the Tampa Bay Rays.
Not surprisingly, the Red Sox have told teams that Bobby Dalbec is available. Tampa Bay is one team which has expressed some interest.
— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) December 6, 2022
If Devers is getting a long-term deal, which is what must happen this winter, and Triston Casas and Eric Hosmer are platooning at first base moving forward, as indicated by Bloom and Cora on Monday, then it makes sense that Dalbec is available. He’s been viewed as a trade candidate for some time now; had Casas not sprained his ankle in May, sources indicated the Sox would have called him up and dealt Dalbec at the deadline. Instead, the Sox were stuck with Dalbec and acquired Hosmer from the San Diego Padres, instead.
However, the Rays, known for their robust farm system and success with developing prospects, would be the kind of organization that could unlock Dalbec’s potential, and then, the Sox would have to face him for years.
What would the Rays do with Dalbec, exactly? They have several first and third options in Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes, Harold Ramirez, Jonathan Aranda, and Vidal Bruján, and each is under club control for at least two more seasons. Would the Sox trade Dalbec for another big-leaguer with a few years of club control, or choose to pluck some prospects from the very farm system Bloom helped build?
Dalbec’s trade value was significantly higher last offseason and even this summer, but he still offers a power bat (albeit with a lot of strikeouts) and several years of club control. The Sox can leverage the fact that he won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2024, and won’t reach free agency until 2027, so they won’t walk away empty-handed.
But they should and are likely weighing the cost versus benefit of trading with a division rival.
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