This sounds dead on to me.
yes--they were missing RH power. Duvall could provide that--perhaps even against RHP (in 2021 he had a reverse split and hit 32 HR v. righties). All speculative, of course--and depends on how things shake out, but lineups could look like this:
And 2020 was COVID year and he played 57 out of 70 games. But other than those two things, it was a fantastic post.
I’ve said this elsewhere already, but don’t give up on Story coming back at DH for a month or two on the early end of the projected recovery.
In which case you've potentially created another hole. Verdugo allows flexibility in the OF.
Nobody played 100 games in 2020. Duvall played in 57 of 60 games. He played in 146 games in 2021 and in 76 of 86 games in 2022 before he got injured running into a wall.
This came up in another thread, but, I think we are underestimating Verdugo. He was fine in Right Field prior to last season (when it appears he had an injury and/or lost some quickness due to bulking up). He is turning 27 this May, has shown the ability to play well in Boston, doesn't become a free agent until 2025, and his offensive stats were really good from June forward last year (.304/.356/.447 after the ASG).
Or he could just go to Worcester if no one values him.
Hernandez & Duvall are both above average OF defensively, & Verdugo was until last season.
Sure.
Can always move off some borderline people, either in trades for flyer-types or just drop them. Brasier/Ort/Dalbec, etc.
We don't need an OF defensive replacement, & we definitely don't need JBJ on our bench. Greg Allen was signed as minor league depth if they need a d-1st CF type.
Crazy fast MI/OF type acquired in the JBJ trade. Could be useful if he actually figured out to hit during his late season run.
No.
Some, but not a lot.
Yes, I think he could be an interesting option there & wouldn't mind seeing him in a platoon with Arroyo.
Plz no.
It's cold in the dugout, too.
I would think it would be more important to try to get the most out of him when we need him more so than when he would be a bench option.
Unless they trade Verdugo how would that work? Are you suggesting they are going to bench Yoshida or Turner? We have two starters who are best utilized in LF and another that is slated to be a full-time DH. Unless the Sox trade Verdugo (for either a defensively competent SS or a defensively competent OF) I don’t see how the Duvall signing doesn’t mean Kike is the team’s SS.
Timing seems coincidental to me. The Sox declined their option on Pham (1/6M) in November. Would be weird if they were in on him at this stage of the off-season for a similar contract. Duvall seems a bit more defensively flexible (Pham is a LF only guy, as evidenced by his time in Boston), which is something the Sox need more in their outfield.
It was a $12m mutual option they turned down:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/red-sox-to-decline-tommy-phams-2023-mutual-option.html
I expect Refsnyder to play quite a bit against left handed pitchers as well, so a 5 man OF rotation with Verdugo and Yoshida getting more at bats then Duvall (and Hernandez picking up at bats in the infield).
LF Yoshida Verdugo CF Kike Duvall RF Duvall Verdugo Kike gets some time at MI along with Arroyo to fill which ever MI sot remains unfilled. RFsnyder is the Jack of all trades.
Plus, virtually every player acquired this off-season could be a good trade asset at the deadline if we aren't in it. Lots of good this off-season with little to no damage to the long term plan of growing the team from the farm.
So Verdugo is now a part-time player? With the money they spent to acquire him I assume Yoshida will be a regular starter.
Defensive #s are so noisy. Verdugo is 26, though, so it doesn't seem like he should be getting bad defensively at that age. It's possible part of it stems from playing multiple positions over the last couple years & he will do well if he can settle in with a regular routine in RF, especially against all RH pitchers (118 career wRC+ against righties), & some lefties.
Yeah, considering the reports were that the Sox were ahead of pretty much all of Yoshida's other pursuers, it would be hard to believe there's a team out there willing to trade assets for him right now. A year from now if he has a monster season? Sure. But not before he's even set foot on an MLB field.
I'm not sure. I want to say there's some sort of no-trade period after a free agent signing (like two months into the first season or something) but I might be conflating it with the old rule about not trading prospects within a year of drafting them.
Yeah that reddit thread is actually not well thought-out, as evidenced by someone claiming that MLB teams need the commissioner's approval on all trades. But it turns out there is a rule that prevents "sign-and-trades"
If Turner is the RH compliment at 1B and back up at 3rd Yoshida's likely to get some starts at DH and the occasional day off. I really don't think it's that hard to find playing time and ABs to satisfy four outfielders, given the positional flexibility and the likelyhood of Kike' playing games in the IF. Is/should the plan be to have Duvall as your primary CF? Rhetorical.
There was also the Cora response to a question last season about Verdugo "preferring" to play left that was interpreted by some to mean that he couldn't or wouldn't play RF
If you're pointing out he hasn't played 100 because he sucks, so be it. But if it's a knock on his durability, it's off base. He played 146 in 2021. In Covid 2020, he played 57 of 60 Atl games. In 2019, he played 41 in Atlanta and 101 in AAA (142). Over 140 the years before that. So I dont think durability is a question. I think he's on the wrong side of the curve to be as good as Renfroe was. But a modest 105 OPS+ from a new OF would be an improvement over last year.
Agree with this take. They're going to give Yoshida as many PAs as he can handle for the next year and a half at least.
So sly that no free agent would ever sign a multi year deal with them again without a no trade clause
I think making Arraez available for Pablo Lopez is different than trading him for Houck, though.
How much different? Houck is under team control for five years. López, who recently missed several months with shoulder/rotator cuff issues, is under control for two.
