Boston Red Sox trade rumors Kyle Schwarber: scattered thoughts on the deal

In case you missed it Thursday night, the Red Sox effectively struck their first deal of the season, adding a left-handed hitter to Kyle Schwarber in a deal with the Nationals. Boston sent up right-hander hopeful Aldo Ramirez. Here are some scattered thoughts the day after the deal.

• Well I’m going to start off by saying it’s good that the Red Sox didn’t do anything. I’m not sure that’s actually a possibility, but I admit my lack of patience got the better of me as Thursday rolled out and I saw all the other contenders make additions. It would have been terrible if the Red Sox had done nothing, as a team with legitimate World Series aspirations. possesses make some sort of addition to the deadline. And the Red Sox did. I think they need to do more, which we’ll discuss a bit later this morning, but they haven’t fully rested on their hands, and that’s a good thing, if only given my own. paranoia.
• I think you need to start this conversation on Schwarber, however, with the defense. Boston got it for their bat, sure, but you still have to know where people are playing, and here it’s hard to be totally sure what they’re planning. It would make more sense to play him at first base, but he didn’t do it on a normal game – he technically signed up for a game in 2017, but it came from the outfield for a five-man infield. roster – since playing in the Cape Cod League as an amateur. Theoretically, he could also fit into the outfield against righties with Hunter Renfroe seated. Last night I thought they were planning on making him a first baseman, but the more I sit on it the more I think we’ll see him play a little bit of first, a little left and a little bit of DH. Alex Cora and Chaim Bloom really enjoyed mixing and matching their roster, which gives them a premium bat to do so.

Photo by Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images

• I also think Jarren Duran plays a bit in that. The speed we’ve seen from the rookie has been electric, and we’ve seen encouraging flashes from the bat, but he’s clearly still adjusting to the big-league pitching. As we’ve seen many top prospects this year, including Jarred Kelenic of the Mariners, moving from triple A to the greats right now is as difficult as it has ever been. With Schwarber out for the next two weeks to treat a hamstring injury, I guess it’s a chance for Duran to show he can stay. If he can’t, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was sent for Schwarber, the latter actually having more time in the outfield than anywhere else. This is only speculation on my part, however.
• We’ve gone this far not to mention Schwarber’s bat, but it’s a disservice because man can crush. It was the history of baseball – non-Ohtani division – in June, crushing 16 homers in 18 games, which also included 12 homers in 10 games. Horsepower is certainly the left-hander’s calling card, but he also gets a solid foundation thanks to a rate of walk that consistently sits in double digits. Overall, he’s an above-average hitter year after year with the potential to make massive impacts for stretching, and this Red Sox offense has been sleepwalking for a few weeks now.
• There are, however, some negative points offensively for Schwarber. First of all, it hits a lot. That’s not much of a problem in today’s game, especially when you have her power and patience, but we’ve heard from Cora all year round about the importance of making contact. With his strikeout rate of 29% this year, which is only a percentage point above his career rating, there are going to be some contact issues.

Photo by Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

• Schwarber also has some pretty sizable divisions. He’s been average against lefties this year, but over the course of his career he has a 126 WRC + against righties versus 81 against lefties. I suspect the Red Sox are going to put him in the squad, which could mean Bobby Dalbec will have a role on this team after all. I would prefer they had another right-hander who can play first with more stable production, but I’m not convinced we’ll actually see that. The good news is that Dalbec has a 102 wRC + against lefties this year, although he comes with a batting average of .377 on in-play balls, a 38% strikeout rate and a walk rate of. 3.5%.
• Honestly, it feels more like a playoff move than a stretch run to me. Which is good, as the Red Sox have substantial cushion for a playoff berth, but not so much for the division. That said, with a hitter who has Schwarber’s ability to get hot, it’s not that hard to imagine him playing his skills and being an integral part of the roster in October. For me, that’s the ultimate hope here for the Red Sox, to play the semi-long game.
• They better hope so, because as I mentioned above he is out for the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury. Considering that Christian Arroyo just got injured playing first base for the first time, it’s hard not to be afraid of it. Paranoid? Perhaps. But also essential, at least for me.

• We should talk at least briefly about Aldo Ramirez. I’ll start by saying that I don’t mind paying that price for Schwarber, who can once again be a legitimate difference maker in October. But I wouldn’t say it’s cheap either. There is some disagreement over where Ramirez is placed in the system, but I think I’m relatively high with him and think he can stay in the rotation long-term if he stays healthy. Again, I’m not complaining about the price the Red Sox paid, and teams in their position should be prepared to pay market value for good players and not just wait for a steal to fall in their turns. But it’s not a price for nothing.
• I will say that while I love Schwarber, I would have preferred a real first baseman. Again, it can still happen, but it looks like a missed opportunity if it doesn’t. Carlos Santana was my first target, but it looks like the Royals intend to keep it, so nothing Boston could do there. But if they could have pushed harder on Rizzo, I think they should have paid a lower price in terms of prospects by taking the contract. (Which they are with Schwarber, for what it’s worth.) That said, I think Schwarber is a better hitter, which narrows the gap. It’s something like a B + to a B- with Rizzo to Schwarber in my mind. There is a difference, but not enough to melt. I might melt if Santana ends up being handed over to a team other than Boston.
• I wouldn’t be so quick to rule out first base defense, as it seems a lot of people are. It’s true that it’s not as hard to play or find as a good shortstop or any other intermediate player, but it’s still important to have someone you can trust in a position. who is involved in more games than anyone other than the pitcher and catcher. And this is especially true with an interior defense of the Red Sox which can be fragile at times, to put it lightly.
• An underrated part of this move is that it improves the bench. Again, we’re not sure what this list ultimately looks like when the dust settles on the deadline, but at the very least when he’s healthy, Schwarber pushes someone who normally starts off to the bench, or on a day when a left-hander starts, he joins the bench and offers a huge possibility of pinching at the end of the round. It will help all the time, but especially in the playoffs.
• Can we please stop talking about the damn luxury tax? The Red Sox reset it so they can go back, and there’s a new ACA coming up that has the potential to totally change that landscape anyway. There’s no good reason to worry about the tax as a fan, and it’s great that the Red Sox didn’t make sure Washington accepted the deal and had to pay an even higher price. high with prospects.
• Overall my quick reaction rating for this trade is around B. Strong, and can be even better with the right followings, but there has to be more. Stay tuned later this morning for more on this topic.