...
By Jon Vankin
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
In the sixth inning of nationally televised game against the New York Yankees on Sunday, Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers hit a slow roller to New York second baseman D.J. Lemahieu.
But even though it appeared Devers had a good chance to get an infield hit out of the 68 mph grounder if he hustled down the line, instead he appeared to jog lazily and was easily thrown out.
After the game, Boston Manager Alex Cora assured reporters that Devers' issue "wasn't lack of hustle."
Read More on MLB
...
But he said nothing more, adding only, "We'll leave it at that."
After Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, though, Devers revealed what was really going on.
"Speaking English, Devers also revealed that he had been playing with a groin strain that slowed him on the bases in recent games," reported The Boston Globe team correspondent Peter Abraham.
Though Devers also told Abraham, "I'm feeling better now," the Red Sox may be wise to find another hitter who could take over at the DH spot, and play the field as well (which Devers has so far declined to do).
According to former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, now a writer for The Athletic, there is likely to be just such a player available — a slugger who has belted 68 home runs over the past three seasons, and has eight so far this year with an .826 OPS in 278 plate appearances.
More MLB: Red Sox Trade Scenario Would Cut Ties with Jarren Duran for Reunion With 8-time All-Star
That player, named by Bowden, is seven-year veteran and 2024 All-Star Josh Naylor of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Naylor is playing on a one-year, $10.9 million contract, but will be a free agent after this season. That means he would be a rental, which brings his price tag down should the Diamondbacks choose to become sellers and unload Naylor in exchange for a prospect package.
Bowden lists Naylor as a fit with the Seattle Mariners or San Francisco Giants, but the Red Sox could also now join that group. But what would Arizona want in return for Naylor?
The Diamondbacks' farm system is not great to begin with, ranked 22nd out of 30 by MLB Pipeline. That means they have needs across the whole field. Arizona has only three prospects in the MLB Pipeline top 100, none of them pitchers.
If the Red Sox are looking to trade for Naylor, they would likely pitch the Diamondbacks a pitcher.
The Red Sox have several in their own top 15. If Arizona is in seller mode, it probably doesn't need a major league-ready talent for this season or next, so Boston could dip into its lower minor leagues.
There, the Diamondbacks would find lefty Payton Tolle, Boston's second-round draft pick last year, currently pitching for the High-A Greenville Drive.
According to SoxProspects.com, Tolle —who pitched at Texas Christian last year after two seasons at Wichita State — has a "ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Could breeze through the low-minors using just his fastball, but secondary stuff needs work to reach his potential, and focus on development of those pitches will likely slow down his development and lead to more mixed results in some outings."
Tolle is the 15th-ranked Red Sox prospect and fifth-ranked pitcher in the Red Sox system. Packaging him with a lower-ranked arm, such as 29th-ranked Sadbiel Delzine — a 17-year-old righty signed out of Venezuela earlier this year — should be enough to land Naylor.
Maybe more than enough.
The teenaged Delzine got a $500,000 signing bonus, the most the Red Sox have paid for an international pitching prospect since 2019, and the athletic, six-foot-five, 198-pounder already pitches at the Double-A level.
More MLB: Red Sox Rafael Devers Breaks Silence on Top Prospect Replacement
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines