It's been a tough weekend to be a Sox fan - in particular watching them outmatched by a Toronto team whose strength in the field (1st in the league at +54 DRS)underscored the Sox's biggest weakness: fielding. The Sox leads the league in errors (.70 per game) and are 27th in Defensive Runs Saved. And yet the worst part of this year's failures may be the fact that the team's worst fielders - Devers (-8 DRS, 3rd worst in the Majors at his position), Yoshida (-5 DRS, tied for 4th worst in LF*) Casas (-3 DRS, tied for 5th worst at 1b*) and Duran (-5 DRS, tied for 3rd worst at CF*) - are the very core of the team's lineup, both for now and presumably in the future. With a better (but older) fielder, Justin Turner, at DH (who the team has decided should not play regularly due to injury risk) potentially around for another year, the Sox face the possibility of a 2024 that forces them into the same situation, with 4 of the league's worst fielders taking the lion share of the innings at 4 of their 8 defensive positions.
Now, I suppose it can be argued that there is still hope for Casas (though he has looked horrible at handling throws and piss-poor at decision making) and that Duran is at least better than last year (when he may have been the worst CFer in the league) but I don't think the Sox can just assume either will improve. And the one downside of Yoshida's breakout season in LF is it's hard to imagine being able to move Duran there - despite it being a more natural positional fit- anytime soon. Perhaps the most frustrating fielder of the group is Devers, whose regression in the field in 23' and long history of being subpar (-52 DRS for his career) makes him the most logical candidate for the DH role longterm (possibly as soon as Turner departs), despite being only 26 years old and signed to the biggest contract in team history. It's not an enviable position for the team to be in, which is one of the reasons the prospect I was most comfortable with the Sox trading was Yorke, as the last thing this team needs to add to this lineup is a defensively challenged second baseman.
So I guess the question is how do they address this? Despite how fun it's been to watch Yoshida, Casas and Duran's offensive emergence the fact that all 3 have combined this with DH-level defensive performances has placed the Sox in a dilemma. Would it be wise to trade one of them, or maybe even Turner if he picks up his option? If Turner does depart, who should be shifted to DH? What might be best for 24' would be for Rafaela to replace Turner on the roster and take over at either 3rd base or CF - relieving either Devers or Yoshida of their fielding glove. It's a situation that may also increase the pressure to keep Verdugo, as his emergence defensively (+12 DRS) makes him the one plus-defender in the current lineup.
Now, I suppose it can be argued that there is still hope for Casas (though he has looked horrible at handling throws and piss-poor at decision making) and that Duran is at least better than last year (when he may have been the worst CFer in the league) but I don't think the Sox can just assume either will improve. And the one downside of Yoshida's breakout season in LF is it's hard to imagine being able to move Duran there - despite it being a more natural positional fit- anytime soon. Perhaps the most frustrating fielder of the group is Devers, whose regression in the field in 23' and long history of being subpar (-52 DRS for his career) makes him the most logical candidate for the DH role longterm (possibly as soon as Turner departs), despite being only 26 years old and signed to the biggest contract in team history. It's not an enviable position for the team to be in, which is one of the reasons the prospect I was most comfortable with the Sox trading was Yorke, as the last thing this team needs to add to this lineup is a defensively challenged second baseman.
So I guess the question is how do they address this? Despite how fun it's been to watch Yoshida, Casas and Duran's offensive emergence the fact that all 3 have combined this with DH-level defensive performances has placed the Sox in a dilemma. Would it be wise to trade one of them, or maybe even Turner if he picks up his option? If Turner does depart, who should be shifted to DH? What might be best for 24' would be for Rafaela to replace Turner on the roster and take over at either 3rd base or CF - relieving either Devers or Yoshida of their fielding glove. It's a situation that may also increase the pressure to keep Verdugo, as his emergence defensively (+12 DRS) makes him the one plus-defender in the current lineup.
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