Red Sox Desperately Need Outfield Help

 

Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki checks all the boxes for Boston

The Red Sox outfield mix currently consists of Enrique Hernandez, Alex Verdugo, and Jackie Bradley Jr., who no longer profiles as an everyday player. Then there’s JD Martinez and rookie Jarren Duran.

Bradley will most likely be a fourth outfielder and late-inning defensive substitute this season. The 31-year-old’s batting average and on-base percentage declined every season from 2016 through 2019. His slugging percentage also peaked in 2016 and fell from there. That long decline culminated with the worst season of his career in 2021, when Bradley slashed a woeful .163/.236/.261. At this point, Bradley is an automatic out and a black hole in any lineup, other than a high school team. But he can still defend with the best of them.  

After a brilliant run at Triple-A, Duran wilted during his call-up to the majors last summer. The 25-year-old slashed .215/.241/.336/.578, with two home runs, two triples, three doubles, 40 strikeouts and four walks in 33 games (112 plate appearances) last season.

Duran was plagued by too many strikeouts and too few walks, as evidenced by his 35.7% strikeout percentage and 3.6% walk percentage. League-wide, rookies averaged a 27.3% and 7.8%, respectively, last season.

Duran discovered a previously untapped power stroke last year in the minors, but that inevitably led to a lot of swings and misses at the big league level. He’ll need to gain much better control of the strike zone to have success in the majors. The jury is still out on that. As a result, he's likely to start this season back in the minors. 

Then there’s Martinez, who’s been used sparingly in the outfield since his 2018 arrival in Boston. 

JD Martinez, Outfield Appearances with Red Sox

2018 - 57 starts

2019 - 38 games (37 starts) 

2020 - 6 starts (60-game season)

2021 - 36 games (35 starts)

As you can see, Martinez’s outfield usage has steadily declined, notwithstanding the shortened 2020 season. 

Martinez is a capable corner outfielder, but defense has never been his calling card. The Red Sox, wary of his previous lisfranc foot injury, have wisely limited his outfield assignments, lessening his chance of re-injury and keeping his steady bat in the lineup. At this point, the 34-year-old could be considered a fifth outfielder.

Hernandez was brought to Boston with the intention of becoming the team's everyday second baseman. But his extraordinary skill in center field couldn’t be resisted, as he played Gold Glove caliber defense there. Yet, while second baseman Christian Vazquez showed flashes in 2021, he was frequently injured and appeared in just 57 games. Ultimately, Vazquez's major league experience is so limited (142 games over five seasons), that he cannot realistically be relied upon. This means the Red Sox may be compelled to shift Hernandez back to second base at some point this year. Yet, that would eliminate what is, perhaps, their best outfield option. 

That leaves Verdugo as the only reliable, everyday option in Boston’s outfield. 

When looked at comprehensively, the picture suddenly becomes quite clear. All of this points to the fact that the Red Sox are very much in need of another everyday outfielder, particularly one with enough versatility to play both corner outfield spots on any given day. 

Kyle Schwarber is a worse outfielder than Martinez; he is certainly not the answer. 

Another free agent option is Nick Castellanos, who is as bad or worse than Schwarber defensively. Then there’s World Series MVP Jose Soler, who has a .246 batting average and .331 OBP after eight seasons, making him more of a problem than a solution. The remaining free agent options become even less enticing from there. The best free-agent outfielders were quickly signed before the lockout began on Dec. 2.  

Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki checks all the boxes for Boston, as he surely does for many other major league clubs. Suzuki has won five Gold Gloves in Japan, while displaying excellent offensive skills. Over the past four seasons, the 27-year-old Suzuki has slashed .319/.435/.592, with 121 home runs and 115 doubles. He also exhibits great plate discipline, walking in 16.1% of his plate appearances, while striking out just 16.4% of the time.   

There will be a lot of competition for Suzuki, who may prefer to play for a West Coast team with spring training facilities in Arizona. That would obviously work against the Red Sox. They may have to make him an offer he can’t refuse. 

For what it’s worth, MLB Trade Rumors projects a five-year, $55 million contract for Suzuki. It would be nice if the suddenly low-budget Red Sox were the highest bidder for a player they really need, one who checks all the boxes on their list.