#infield-defense

#infield-defense

The Red Sox pivoted quickly after losing out on third baseman Alex Bregman, bringing lefty Ranger Suárez in to join an already deep rotation. They're still in the market for help on the infield, and comments from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow at Suárez's introductory press conference perhaps shed some light on the potential moves they could yet have in store (links ( via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Rob Bradford of WEEI and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic).

Entering the offseason, standing pat wasn't an option for the Blue Jays, who excelled in almost every facet this October. Investing in pitching at the start of the offseason showed Toronto's commitment to improving its existing weaknesses and the holes left by players who departed in free agency. Inevitably, the Blue Jays will also have to address the offensive hole Bo Bichette has left on the roster before pitchers and catchers report in February.

Multiple members of the Red Sox' organization view Bo Bichette as an "intriguing alternative" if they lose Bregman in free agency, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported. Bichette, who'll turn 28 in March, is not only one of the top hitters on the open market this offseason, but he's also one of the youngest free agents. The two-time All-Star hit .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a .840 OPS this past season, helping him earn MVP votes for the fourth time.

The primary reason the Nationals should look to sign Rojas is his premium defense. For almost his entire career, Rojas has been a premium defender at shortstop and second base. This past season, Rojas' outs above average ranked in the 91st percentile of all qualified players. While defensive statistics like outs above average can fluctuate from season to season for many players, Rojas has consistently been an elite performer in this metric. He has ranked around the 90th percentile since 2021.

García hasn't played anywhere other than second base since the end of 2022. He got a few months of shortstop run that year but clearly wasn't cut out for that position. He's not a particularly good second baseman either. Defensive Runs Saved has graded him negatively in three straight years. Statcast's Outs Above Average gave him above-average marks in 2024 but has had him as a subpar defender in every other season of his career.