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There is a school of thought that—with a freshly-minted championship in tow—the Red Sox can avoid any big moves to improve during the off-season and
still contend for back-to-back titles. We do not attend that school—in fact,
we dropped-out long ago. Multiple reports (on-line, in print and on satellite radio) have
hinted that
Boston might be interested in upgrading at first base—with Arizona super-star
Paul Goldschmidt. The Diamondbacks have reportedly sent signals that the 31-year-old perennial
All-Star may be available in a trade. While
Mitch Moreland and
Steve Pearce were both spectacular in the 2018 post-season, Boston's overall
season-long performance at first base was sub-par (1.6 WAR). Since 2013, Goldschmidt has
averaged a 6.0 WAR—including 30 HRs, a .947 OPS, and 17 stolen bases.
Averaged. Any trade would probably include the likes of Moreland,
Michael Chavis and former
University of Maryland pitcher
Mike Shawaryn (who is shining in the Boston farm system). We would do that deal in a heartbeat! Of course, the Red Sox are a bit constrained financially—having gone over the salary cap in 2018. And, they have multiple free-agents to deal with both now and at the end of next season. But, frankly,
who cares—it's only
John Henry's cash, not ours, right? Let's get the best-of-the-best at 1B—and
also keep Goldschmidt away from
The Evil Ones (who despite their denials, actually
lust after him). We say:
Go for it!, and make our World Champs even
champ-ier (if that's even a word).
