Red Sox Underperforming Trade Acquisition Has Hurt His Stock, Says New Report

Not the walk year this new Red Sox slugger was hoping for...

Aug 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen (28) makes his way to the dugout in a Boston Red Sox uniform while on the ball park score board when he was at bat during the postponed game back in June as a Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

In the eyes of just about everyone around Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox flopped at the trade deadline.

To their credit, the Red Sox bought more this season than they did at the past two deadlines combined, thanks to an exciting first half that had Boston in the thick of the wild card hunt. Unfortunately, the pieces they acquired have done more to hurt the cause than help it.

Lucas Sims and Lucas Garcia were two of the worst second-half relievers in baseball before hitting the injured list on the same day. James Paxton got hurt in his third outing back in Boston. Quinn Priester hasn't pitched for the Red Sox in the big leagues yet. Then, there's the infamous "right-handed bat" debacle.

All season, it was obvious that the Red Sox had much more left-handed thump in their offense than right-handed, and one of the primary goals on their trade deadline to-do list was correcting that imbalance. But the best they could muster was a backup catcher in former Toronto Blue Jay Danny Jansen, who has been less than mediocre since arriving in Boston.

On Tuesday, R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports named Jansen as one of the five hitters who has done the most damage to his stock heading into free agency this winter.

"Jansen had the opportunity to cement himself as one of the top offensive catchers on the open market. Alas, he's whiffed completely: first underperforming with the Blue Jays, then cratering since joining the Red Sox," Anderson said.

"Jansen is now sporting his worst OPS+ since he established himself as a big-league regular, further complicating a free agency that was always likely to be a little polarizing given his long-standing durability issues."

Jansen was acquired on Jul. 27 for a trio of prospects--infielders Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino, and right-handed pitcher Gilberto Batista. Since then, he has a .197 average and .615 OPS in 22 games, good for just a 73 OPS+.

It was unlikely the Red Sox were going to bring Jansen back at any rate, given top prospect Kyle Teel is nearing big-league readiness. But rather than giving his current team any second thoughts, Jansen has made it more difficult to find a new impact role for himself this winter.

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