The Red Sox could use a first baseman. They have now been connected to one, although it might not get fans too excited.
According to Fansided’s Robert Murray, Boston is one of the teams that the New York Mets have “engaged” with regarding first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith.
Are the Red Sox buyers or sellers?
The reason that might not be very exciting is that Smith is hitting just .194/.276/.284 for a .560 OPS in 58 games this season. The 27-year-old has zero home runs and 17 RBIs in 152 plate appearances, and even got sent down to Triple-A for 15 games. His offensive numbers are actually worse than what both Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero have given the Red Sox this season.
Now, there is a good player inside Smith somewhere, or at least there was. He was the 11th overall pick back in 2013, and he had a very good 2020 COVID-shortened season. That year, Smith had a .993 OPS with 10 homers and 42 RBIs in 50 games and finished 13th in National League MVP voting.
Smith also had an .881 OPS in 2019, and he’s a good defensive first baseman. He has served as a defensive replacement for Pete Alonso at times this season, and he also has experience playing the outfield in New York. The offense has really dried up over the last two years, though, especially this season.
If the Red Sox really wanted to target a true everyday first baseman who can hit and field the position, it wouldn’t be Smith. He’d maybe be an upgrade over Cordero given that he is at least a good fielder, unlike Cordero, but that’s about it.
It is worth noting that the wording of Murray’s report -- that the Mets “engaged” the Red Sox -- doesn’t necessarily mean that Chaim Bloom and company have a high level of interest, or are even actively pursuing a deal.
Smith might not be the worst flyer to take if the cost is very low, but if the Red Sox are actually trying to contend this season, you would hope they’d have their sights set higher when it comes to improving the first base position.
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