3 Red Sox who don’t deserve to be on the 40-man roster heading into 2024
For the past few seasons, the Boston Red Sox have been taking heat for the state of their roster.
The Red Sox front office took the 2018 World Series winning team — one of the most dominant rosters of all time — and stripped it down to almost nothing. Rafael Devers is the last remaining player from the Sox’s most recent World Series run.
The front office hasn’t made an effort to replace any of the lost talent with equal or better candidates. Boston currently operates on a small-market budget and its roster definitely reflects that.
But since improving the team doesn’t appear to be the front office’s goal, Boston is suffering at the expense of ownership’s other interests. They’re sacrificing years of Devers’ prime to play a waiting game for prospects who may not ever deliver.
The players on this list are fine additions to a team and there’s nothing wrong with them. They could fit well on other rosters; they could be fine trade pieces; or they just aren’t suited for the job the Red Sox need them to do. Any way you slice it, these guys have struggled to consistently meet the demands of the Red Sox organization, whether the expectations placed on them were justifiable or not.
And the Red Sox can always do better. They have the power to upgrade.
3 Red Sox who don’t deserve to be on the 40-man roster heading into 2024
C Reese McGuire
The Red Sox acquired McGuire late in the 2022 season as part of an exchange for pitcher Jake Diekman. Earlier that same month, Boston traded 2018 World Series-winning catcher Christian Vázquez to the Astros. McGuire has not been the replacement for him that the Red Sox needed.
The 28-year-old is an average defensive catcher. According to Baseball Savant, the backstop ranks below league average in caught stealing, above average in pop time, and just above the median in blocks above average and framing. When the Sox traded for him in 2022, McGuire’s caught-stealing rate and framing quality were much better, but his bat never matched up with Vázquez’s.
And his bat is frequently underwhelming. He hit .267/.310/.358 in 72 games. It should be noted that his stats aren’t much better than Connor Wong’s, Boston’s primary catcher. But Wong came to the Red Sox as part of the Mookie Betts trade, and he’s the best of the pieces they received and currently still have.
McGuire’s been playing a backup catcher role, but there have been many better options on the market, including ex-Yankee slugger Gary Sánchez. McGuire could fit in somewhere, but his fit with the Red Sox isn’t great.
INF Bobby Dalbec
Bobby Dalbec has been with the Red Sox organization since 2016 when he was drafted. Fast forward nine years and the first baseman still has no clear path out of Worcester. Dalbec is a good player, but it’s mind-boggling that Sox have held onto him as long as they have when a far better, more consistent first-base prospect was also coming through the system in Triston Casas. Sure, Dalbec can play other positions, but he’s not better than the guys the Sox already have at any single one of them.
Dalbec had a good year at the plate in Triple-A and he has a tendency to hit some bombs, but his production is inconsistent. He batted .269/.381/.557 in Worcester in 2023 but hit .204 with a .570 OPS in 21 games with the Sox.
The infielder’s best year in the majors was in 2021, during which he hit 25 home runs and was part of the Red Sox’s playoff roster. He struck out a lot, though — so much so that his power didn’t make up for it. He posted 156 strikeouts in 417 at-bats in 2021, his longest stint in the majors. His consistency has only dropped from there.
Dalbec has the potential to reach the major leagues and stay there on another team. But with Casas as the Sox’s everyday first baseman and all of the other infield positions filled, Dalbec will continue to struggle to find a home at Fenway. Had the Red Sox traded him after 2021 when his value was higher, they could’ve gotten a good reward for him, too. Now, not so much.
OF Rob Refsnyder
Rob Refsnyder has been a fine fourth outfielder in Boston for two seasons. Alex Cora throws him in the pastures late in games when the Sox’s other outfielders need a break or he wants a right-handed bat in their stead.
Refsnyder has a strong arm while his chase, whiff and K rates are low and his walk rate is high. When the Sox need to get someone on base, Refsnyder can sub in and likely do the job. But the outfielder can’t slug, and he doesn’t hit the ball hard or far. He batted .248/.365/.317 in 2023 with just 11 extra-base hits on the season. Additionally, Baseball Savant ranks the outfielder below league average in sprint speed and OAA. Refsnyder posted a -3 in the latter category in 2023.
The Red Sox require a right-handed bat with power. Refsnyder takes up a 40-man roster spot and brings below-average defense and offense. Exchanging him, along with other pieces, for a player like Jorge Soler would only do Boston good.
