Red Sox Consider Moving Porcello, Bogaerts or Bradley
As the Red Sox assess their bullpen for next year it’s becoming clear that some salaries need to be moved, and it’s rumored that Rick Porcello, Jackie Bradley Jr. or Xander Bogaerts could be on the trading block.
With the re-signing of Craig Kimbrel looking unlikely and Joe Kelly becoming a Dodger the future of the Red Sox bullpen is very much in limbo. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today this is something the Red Sox are looking to fix ASAP, even if it means trading away some players who were key in last years World Series run:
The Boston #Redsox, trying to clear salary space for bullpen help, are openly listening to offers on Rick Porcello, and rivals insist also are willing to talk about Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 11, 2018
Of the three mentioned in the tweet Porcello is the only one who has a locked in salary for the year. The Red Sox are slated to pay him just over $21 million in 2019, which is the final year of his four year contract. Bogaerts and Bradley are both arbitration eligible, so for the time being we can’t be positive what they’ll make; last year they were paid about $7 million and $6 million respectively.
Porcello is the most reliable and proven player of the trio, but because he’s in his walk year and has a large contract he also could be the hardest one to move. A possible destination that comes to mind for him is the Mets, who are in win now mode and could definitely afford to take on his contract. If their ace Noah Syndergard ends up getting dealt in some type of trade for J.T. Realmuto as is being discussed then it would be even easier to sell them on Porcello, who won the Cy in 2016 and led the Red Sox in starts and innings pitched last season.
The shortstop
Last year was a strong one for Bogaerts, who slashed .288/.360/.522 and earned a few votes for MVP. He has great power for a short stop, hitting 23 home runs last year, and is a competent fielder who is showing defensive improvement. He’s also only 26 so his best seasons are still to come, but this upside is tampered a bit by the fact that like Porcello he’ll also be a free agent in 2020. Still, he’s a relatively cheap attractive trade piece at a tough position and will definitely attract some interest on the trade market.
The big problem with trading Bogaerts is that the middle infield is one of the few places on the field that the Red Sox lack depth. It seems extremely unlikely that Dustin Pedroia will return as an everyday player next year, so without Bogaerts second and short would be split between Brock Holt and Eduardo Núñez. Both are offensive downgrades, and it’s also not entirely clear who would be behind them on the depth chart should one of them get injured (maybe it’s time to start those Mookie to second rumors again).
One team that might be interested in Bogaerts are the Brewers, whose mostly strong line up is a little thin down the middle with both Orlando Arcia and Hernán Pérez coming off of so-so seasons. They also have a bevy of impressive relievers, so the Red Sox might be able to solve their problems through a Brewers trade instead of treating it as a simple salary dump.
The outfield’s defensive anchor
The final member of the trio, Bradley, is the most likely to be moved, and if the Red Sox are going to trade him they should do it soon while memories of his ALCS MVP performance are still fresh in everyone’s heads.
Bradley will be under team control until 2021, and he is one of the best fielding center fielders in all of baseball. He didn’t have a great season at the plate in 2018, but he’s shown in the past he can perform better at the plate, and his defense makes up for any offensive downside.
The Red Sox are pretty deep as far as outfield roster is concerned, and current corner outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts both have the range to slide over to center field.
The Atlanta Braves are one team that comes to mind that could benefit from Bradley; over the past week the NL East has somehow become one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, so an upgrade in the outfield over Ender Inciarte is a must.
Next. Red Sox need bullpen improvement. dark
It’ll be an interesting rest of the week as we wait and see how serious the Red Sox are about moving these players. They’re far from desperate, and will likely hold out until they can get the best deal possible, which might not come until later in the season when teams needs become more fleshed out.