On Sunday, after two months of prioritizing pitching and being outbid for free-agent sluggers, the Boston Crimson Sox landed their first bat of the offseason.
Of their second commerce with the Cardinals within the final month, the Crimson Sox swapped right-handed rookie Hunter Dobbins and pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita for veteran catcher-turned-first-baseman Willson Contreras and money issues.
Contreras could, at the very least partially, clear up a number of key Crimson Sox issues.
“A 3-time All-Star, World Collection champion, brings an depth and a aggressive edge to a place that we’d recognized as an space of want,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow stated on Monday. “(He) can play first base as a right-handed hitter, so a profile that matches effectively at our park. And so we’re excited to carry him on, and really feel like he lengthens the lineup and offers us some much-needed pop.”
Contreras’ arrival additionally creates new questions for the entrance workplace to reply.
Listed here are a number of the many angles and layers to this newest Crimson Sox transfer:
Price-effective consistency at first base
The Orioles outbid the Crimson Sox for Pete Alonso, however Contreras is greater than a mere comfort prize.
In Contreras, the Crimson Sox are getting some of the constant hitters of the final half-decade; he’s certainly one of 15 hitters with an OPS+ of 120 or higher in every of the final 4 seasons. (Rafael Devers can also be on this record.)
Contreras and Alonso are comparable hitters in a number of metrics. Because the begin of 2023, Contreras has a 127 OPS+, Alonso 130+. They’ve averaged 3.5 and three.7 at-bats per strikeout, respectively.
Over the past two seasons, the 2 first basemen had similar .354 wOBA (weighted on-base proportion decided by every methodology of reaching base’s distinctive worth because it pertains to run-scoring). Alonso was value 5.6 Wins Above Alternative, Contreras 5.4.
Alonso is youthful and presents extra energy, however Contreras will get on base and regardless of solely changing into a full-time first baseman this yr, is a extra succesful defender; his plus-6 Outs Above Common tied for fourth amongst certified main league first basemen whereas Alonso’s negative-9 OAA ranked thirty ninth out of 40.
There’s no comparability between Contreras and the ‘25 Crimson Sox first-base setup: Triston Casas, till his season-ending damage in early Might, then a hodgepodge of Abraham Toro, Romy Gonzalez, and late-season pickup Nathaniel Lowe. Whereas Contreras was value 2.8 WAR, they mixed for negative-0.7 WAR.
Whereas Breslow wouldn’t rule out Contreras catching once more, the Crimson Sox presently “see him primarily at first base, possibly some DH alternatives.”
“It’s a credit score to him, he made that transition (to first base) fairly easily,” Breslow lauded, “and even simply all through the season final yr, improved defensively and by some marks was a well-above-average defensive first baseman. So we’re trying ahead to the influence on each side of the ball.”
A balanced Boston lineup
The Crimson Sox have been a lefty-heavy lineup for the final a number of years, and supervisor Alex Cora hasn’t shied away from discussing the pitfalls. Three of the eight Boston batters who performed at the very least 90 video games this yr are lefties – Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and David Hamilton – as are Roman Anthony and Devers, who overlapped for a few week in mid-June between the previous’s debut and the latter’s commerce. Masataka Yoshida and Marcelo Mayer, two gamers who might issue extra prominently into subsequent yr’s equation, are additionally lefties.
Contreras, a righty, will presumably take the beginning first-base gig from the lefty-hitting Casas.
Casas completed third in AL Rookie of the Yr voting in ‘23, however missed the majority of the following two seasons with extreme rib and knee accidents. It’s unclear if he might be prepared for Opening Day, after present process surgical procedure to restore a torn patellar tendon in Might. The Crimson Sox have voiced help for the homegrown Casas, however in addition they tried to commerce him final winter. They entered this offseason noncommittal and eyeing alternate options.
Expertise and mentorship
Contreras brings 4 years and 30 video games of postseason expertise to a clubhouse stuffed with younger gamers whose whole October resumés are this yr’s three-game loss to the Yankees within the Wild Card sequence. As a rookie on the 2016 Chicago Cubs crew that ended a 108-year World Collection drought, he is aware of firsthand what it’s prefer to navigate the very best of excessive stakes.
The commerce additionally creates a particular mentorship alternative for Contreras, who labored primarily as a catcher for the primary 9 years of his decade within the majors. He’s certainly one of fewer than 500 Venezuelan gamers in main league historical past. New teammate Carlos Narváez, a fellow catcher, is one other.
Pitching depth is taking successful (actually)
As of 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Crimson Sox have but to spend a single penny in free company this offseason. Solely the Colorado Rockies can say the identical.
As a substitute, the Crimson Sox are counting on trades to reshape the roster. They like to half with a big quantity of their newfound pitching depth, one thing the group has traditionally struggled to domesticate, than make a long-term monetary commitments to free company (although they’ve held on to high lefty prospects, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early).
Within the two Cardinals offers alone, the Crimson Sox have shipped off 5 pitchers, together with three of their high prospects.
It speaks volumes in regards to the enhancements to Crimson Sox pitching improvement within the two years since Breslow succeeded Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer and commenced overhauling the division.
It’s additionally an indicator of how averse the Crimson Sox are to free-agent spending.
What’s subsequent?
Contreras is a powerful first step in the precise course, position-player-wise, however unmet wants stay.
Since his crew’s elimination from the postseason by the hands of the Yankees, Breslow has reiterated the necessity for extra energy within the lineup. Contreras presents a stable quantity – he hit 20 homers and 31 doubles in 135 video games this yr – however except the Crimson Sox preserve including, he’ll basically be not more than a substitute for Alex Bregman (28 doubles, 18 residence runs, 114 video games).
Unloading Devers’ contract and making reasonably priced trades all through this offseason have put the Crimson Sox in a major place to make new commitments, however will they? Their most up-to-date long-term free agent signing was Masataka Yoshida’s five-year, $90 million deal throughout the 2022-23 offseason, beneath Bloom.
