The Boston Red Sox went into the offseason with high aspirations.
Boston was reportedly aiming to acquire a significant amount of talent to transform its club into a postseason contender capable of competing with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles atop the American League East.
Boston has recruited talent like as Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, but it may aim to add even more as the season approaches. Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball anticipated that the Red Sox would add to their roster this winter by signing Arizona Diamondbacks free agent Randal Grichuk. Finkelstein expects Grichuk will sign a one-year contract with Boston worth $12 million.
“Last year, Randal Grichuk signed a one-year, $2 million contract to be Joc Pederson’s platoon partner in Arizona for the Diamondbacks,” Finkelstein wrote in his report. “Grichuk was projected to play the short side of the platoon, with the majority of his at-bats coming against left-handed pitchers. Grichuk thrived in the role, blasting lefties with a.319/.386/.528 slash line and 151 wRC+ in 184 plate appearances.
While he encountered righties seldom, Grichuk performed well in his at-bats, hitting six of his 12 home runs against them and registering a 116 wRC+ in 95 plate appearances. In addition to his offensive success, Grichuk performed admirably in both corner outfield positions.
Grichuk was one of the league’s top platoon alternatives last season. He would most likely be relatively inexpensive for the Red Sox to acquire in free agency. Boston would most certainly prefer Grichuk as a designated hitter, but he may thrive in that capacity on such a low-cost contract.
