Boston Red Sox Add Mitch Moreland to Replace David Ortiz

The Boston Red Sox signed first baseman Mitch Moreland to a one-year deal Tuesday as they look to fill the void left by David Ortiz.

While the baseball world focused on the Chris Sale trade, the Boston Red Sox made an under-the-radar signing Tuesday evening, adding former Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland to fill a vacancy at the 1B/DH positions left by the departure of David Ortiz. The contract is worth $5.5 million, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, which is in the neighborhood of what Moreland made in his final season in Arlington.

With Travis Shaw heading to Milwaukee in another deal earlier on Tuesday, the Red Sox had an opening at one of the corner infield slots. By signing Moreland, the Red Sox are able to shift Hanley Ramirez to designated hitter on a full-time basis. Moreland has a reputation as a good defender at first, winning the 2016 AL gold glove at the position, though depending on which metrics one looks at, he rates anywhere from slightly below average to a little above average. In effect, Moreland’s bat replaces Ortiz’s bat in the Boston lineup.

While Boston fans rightfully celebrate the acquisitions of Chris Sale for the top of the rotation and Tyler Thornburg for the back end of the bullpen, the offensive downgrade this represents should not be lost in the shuffle. Moreland still represents a defensive upgrade over Hanley Ramirez, even at the low end of the former’s statistical valuation, and it is clear that pitching and defense is a focus for the Red Sox. However, the similarities between Moreland and Ortiz begin and end with their size and left-handedness.

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Boston rode Ortiz’s .315/.401/.620 batting line to the AL East title in 2016, while Moreland checked in with a .233/.298/.422 line that hurt his team as much as any defensive contributions helped it. Moreland hits more ground balls than Ortiz while pulling the ball at nearly the same rate, making Moreland even more susceptible to the shift than Ortiz was, and Moreland’s hard-hit rate is 9.4% below that of Ortiz.

Moreland is a low-risk signing, and it is entirely possible that he will return to the 2015 form that saw him hit .278/.330/.482. Doing so will make this deal a great one for the Red Sox. However, if Moreland does not improve on his showing from last season, expect Boston to actively pursue a bigger bat as the 2017 season progresses, relegating Moreland to a bench role where he could be useful as a defensive replacement or pinch-hitter.

Next: Red Sox acquire Chris Sale

Mitch Moreland can be a valuable piece in such a bench role on a contending team, but as the Rangers found out in the past two postseasons when Moreland went a combined 2-21, it would be wise to have a backup plan should his bat continue its disappearing act.