Red Sox Infielder 'Almost Certainly' Will Be Cut By Boston This Offseason

Boston could use an upgrade up the middle

Scott Neville | Oct 31, 2023

Red Sox Infielder 'Almost Certainly' Will Be Cut By Boston This Offseason /

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Boston Red Sox

Newly appointed Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will have plenty of work to do in order to pull Boston up the standings after a last-place finish in the American League East in 2023.

While the focus should be on the pitching staff, there are some needs offensively as well. The biggest position of weakness entering the offseason is second base. There are plenty of players already in the mix but none truly shine through.

The Red Sox appear to be on the cusp of cutting ties with one of their internal options.

"(Luis) Urías will almost certainly be non-tendered after an underwhelming showing in two months in Boston," MassLive's Chris Cotillo wrote Tuesday.

Urías was the lone trade deadline acquisition and failed to make much of an impact, let alone one that would influence the playoff race.

The 26-year-old hit .225 with six extra-base hits including two home runs, 13 RBIs and a .698 OPS (91 OPS+) in 32 games for the Red Sox.

The real reason Urías is expected to be non-tendered is due to his projected price tag. The veteran is expected to earn $4.7 million in arbitration according to MLB Trade Rumors, a steep price for a fringe utility man.

That said, if the Red Sox do not make some external additions to the middle infield group, it would be unwise to cut Urías. The other internal options are Pablo Reyes, Enmanuel Valdez, Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton. None of which have proven much of anything in the big leagues.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Could Target Phillies Star In Free Agency

Published Oct 31, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu