Former Red Sox Player Reportedly Available Via Trade; Reunion Makes Sense
Would the Boston Red Sox be willing or able to acquire one of the key pieces of the 2021 roster, one year after shipping him away?
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Hunter Renfroe is on the last year of his deal, and could become a cap casualty, much like he was in Boston a year ago.
The Athletics' Ken Rosenthal named Renfroe and second baseman Kolten Wong as potential salary dump candidates. The Brewers are rumored to be interested in "reconfiguring their payroll."
Renfroe is projected to make $11.2 million in his final year of arbitration according to MLB Trade Rumors.
The Red Sox desperately need to add some power to their outfield, and Renfroe would be one of the best overall candidates to slide back into right field and do so.
In his lone season with the Red Sox, Renfroe hit .259 with 64 extra-base hits including 31 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .816 OPS in 144 games played. The 30-year-old also was named an American League Gold Glove finalist after leading the league in outfield assists while covering a ton of ground in Fenway's historically challenging right field.
Renfroe is coming off a similar year from a production-per-game standpoint. He hit .255 with 52 extra-base hits including 29 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .807 OPS in just 125 games.
It would make a lot of sense for Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to trade for the man he traded away a season ago against better judgment.
Renfroe was a perfect fit for Fenway Park and lengthened a 2021 lineup past the notable stars manning the top spots in the order. He could do the same for a Red Sox lineup that surely will have some new faces in 2023.
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