The Red Sox are rewriting one of baseball’s adages, deciding you could never have enough outfielders.
Maybe that stockpile will end up helping them have enough pitching.
A lot of teams probably wouldn’t mind Allen Craig, Mookie Betts and Daniel Nava as their starting outfield. For Boston that just might be its backup trio behind Hanley Ramirez, Rusney Castillo and Shane Victorino. And that still doesn’t take into account Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt.
The Red Sox fell from champs in 2013 to last place in 2014, in part because they lacked depth when positional injuries struck. So general manager Ben Cherington was determined to provide manager John Farrell alternatives against lefties and righties while having enough in reserve to withstand the cruelty of the long season.
Still, the Red Sox are mentioned prominently by outside executives as a team likely to make a trade this spring. Which is why scouts will be gathering to watch Boston outfielders as the exhibition schedule opens this week.
The Red Sox just signed Hanley Ramirez, so he is entrenched in left. Castillo and Betts are vying for the center field job, but both are viewed as just about untouchable. So scouts will be looking to see if Victorino, at 34, is over back surgery that ruined his 2014 campaign and if he is capable of switch-hitting again after giving up batting from the left side. They will see if Craig is over the left foot injuries that contributed to him bottoming out as a .215 hitter last year. They will see if Bradley has been able to upgrade his offense to complement his already stellar defense.
That trio plus Nava are the pool of available Red Sox outfielders. Victorino and Craig resonate as particularly interesting. In 2013 both were significant players on Red Sox and Cardinals clubs that played in the World Series.
Farrell has declared Victorino the starting right fielder. But that seems a necessity not to disrespect a veteran. Victorino has $13 million left on the final year of his contract and his removal might help Boston get closer to not going over the $189 million luxury-tax figure.
If healthy, Victorino is a shutdown right fielder and energy player. He would be almost a perfect fit — especially with all his playoff experience — to hit in front of Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz in Seattle, among other teams.
Craig has three years at $25.5 million left. He could be retained by Boston as insurance for DH David Ortiz and first baseman Mike Napoli, who are both free agents after this season. But if the Angels were to lose Josh Hamilton to a long suspension and recoup his money, maybe they could redirect those saved funds for Craig.
Bradley already was liked by the Braves even before their disappointing center fielder, Melvin Upton, went down until at least April with a foot injury.
The Red Sox currently operate without an ace and players such as Victorino, Craig, Bradley and Nava do not get that kind of starter. But Boston could look to deepen its rotation with a deal.
Here are a few other trade possibilities this spring:
— The Dodgers already have cleared out most of the contract of one veteran outfielder (Matt Kemp) and would love to do the same with Andre Ethier. Los Angeles knows it would have to swallow much of the three years at $56 million the lefty swinger is still owed.
With Howie Kendrick now at second, Los Angeles might also have to figure out how to deal Cuban Alex Guerrero, who has three years at $14 million left and a contract stipulation that he cannot be sent to the minors against his will. He is a bat in search of a position and might be a worthwhile gamble for an AL team that could use him at DH and work on his defense, though a rebuilding club such as the Braves could just gamble on the bat, too.
— With Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers all obtained this offseason, the Padres have an outfield surplus with Cameron Maybin, Wil Venable and Carlos Quentin. Maybin has two years at $16 million left and has had difficulty staying healthy. But if he has a good spring, I wonder if the Tigers — trying to compete at the highest levels with Anthony Gose and Rajai Davis in center — might take a look. Remember, Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski had the young Maybin and included him as a key piece to obtain Miguel Cabrera.
— Two veteran catchers — the Blue Jays’ Dioner Navarro and the Cubs’ Welington Castillo — are available. Toronto signed Russell Martin to be the No. 1 catcher and have ex-Met Josh Thole around as a potential personal catcher for R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball. The Cubs traded for Miguel Montero and signed David Ross, leaving Castillo as the odd man out.
— The Phillies will definitely have teams keeping an eye on them. Cole Hamels (four years, $96 million) is very available for a multi-top-prospect deal that no team has yet been willing to make. Cliff Lee is owed either $37.5 million for this year if his 2016 option does not vest or two years at $52 million. That is a toxic amount for a 36-year-old who missed the last two months of 2014 with an elbow injury. But he is starting Thursday (a sign of health) and the industry has a lot of respect for his craftiness.
It is going to be far more difficult for the Phils to find a home for Ryan Howard (two years, $60 million) or Jonathan Papelbon, who is owed $13 million this year and has a makeable vesting option for another $13 million in 2016.
— This is a time of year in which scouts focus on out-of-option players on the bubble of making the roster such as Orioles outfielder David Lough and Twins infielder Eduardo Nunez. There is particular attention on potential starters in that situation. You could imagine the Yanks, with their fragile rotation, monitoring those who could be obtained between now and the start of the season, just in case. The Yanks actually have a player in that out-of-options situation — Esmil Rogers.
Others to keep an eye on are the Cubs’ Felix Doubront and Jacob Turner, Arizona’s Randall Delgado, Pittsburgh’s Stolmy Pimentel, Oakland’s Jesse Chavez, Miami’s Brad Hand and Toronto’s Kyle Drabek.