Eric Hosmer, No Longer Needed in San Diego, Will Fill a Hole in Boston
True to his word, Chaim Bloom bought as well as sold at this year’s deadline. Filling one of his team’s biggest needs on the heels of Eric Hosmer’s no-trade-clause refusal to go to the nation’s capital as part of the Juan Soto mega–deal, Bloom acquired the veteran first baseman, along with a pair of speedy outfield prospects, from the San Diego Padres in exchange for 2016 first-rounder Jay Groome. Still holding out hope for October baseball — Boston’s postseason odds currently sit at 33.4% — it was a move that improves their chances.
Hosmer isn’t the type of player who will lift a team on his shoulders and carry them to the promised land. A career .277/.336/.429 (107 wRC+) hitter whose present-season slash line dwells in that same neighborhood, he’s by no means a savior. After a blazing start to the season that saw him hit .382/.447/.579 through May 1, he’s cooled considerably, hitting just .235/.295/.309 since. Still, he’s a capable fielder and if he can recapture something of his early-season form, he represents an upgrade at his position. Red Sox first basemen have combined to slash a putrid .203/.278/.349 this year, and they’ve been even worse on the defensive side of the ball. At -10, they have the worst DRS in either league, and OAA doesn’t like them much better (-9).
Hosmer isn’t exactly Keith Hernandez with the glove, nor is he the same adroit defender who won four Gold Gloves in his glory days with the Kansas City Royals. But again, he represents an upgrade. While Bobby Dalbec, a converted third baseman, has at least been credible at the opposite corner of the infield, converted outfielder Franchy Cordero has been nothing short of cringeworthy. Acquired from Kansas City as part of last year’s Andrew Benintendi trade, Cordero has committed eight errors in just 316 first-base innings this year. Conversely, Hosmer has been charged with 14 errors over his last 2,122 innings. As much as they’ve needed a better bat, Boston needed someone capable of catching the baseball.
A recap of an Eric Hosmer trade wouldn’t be complete without addressing his signing with San Diego. Long considering a team leader, the 32-year-old former All-Star and World Series champion signed an eight-year, $144 million contract prior to the 2018 season, and it’s fair to say that he hasn’t lived up to it statistically. Much for that reason, Hosmer has been derided by Padres fans, as well as those who discount the value of clubhouse chemistry. How much that actually matters is a matter of opinion.
San Diego’s return in the deal is multi-fold. Along with moving the no-longer-needed Hosmer — Boston will reportedly pay only a small percentage of the $44 million remaining on his contract — they’ll receive Groome, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound pitching prospect who has thus far fallen short of expectations. Recently promoted to Triple-A, the 12th-overall pick in the 2016 draft had been No. 16 on our updated Red Sox Top Prospects list as a 40+ FV. Groome will now rank ninth in a San Diego system that is significantly thinner than it was pre-Soto swap.
The Red Sox are getting back prospects as well. Both are speedsters, and likewise not of the high-profile variety. Going to Boston are infielder Max Ferguson, a 2021 fifth-round pick who has 55 stolen bases in 60 attempts this year, and outfielder Corey Rosier, a 2021 12th-round pick with 33 steals in 37 attempts. Each has been playing with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Ferguson was a plus defender at second base during his collegiate career and is now also seeing action at shortstop and in the outfield. Eric Longenhagen feels that the University of Tennessee product could grow into a versatile role player, but he will need to add strength to reach his ceiling. Rosier, who according to Longenhagen “plays with a real edge,” was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 12th round last year, then shipped to San Diego as part of November’s Adam Frazier trade.
Adding speed and athleticism to the system has been a Bloom objective. When the Red Sox dealt Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers last winter, one of the players they got in return was infield prospect David Hamilton, who has 49 stolen bases with Double-A Portland. With Ferguson and Rosier now in the organization, Boston has a trio of jackrabbits who have combined to swipe 137 bases in 150 tries. As for where they rank on our updated Red Sox list, Hamilton (40+ FV) is No. 19, Rosier (40 FV) is No. 28, and Ferguson (35+ FV) is No. 46.
Meanwhile, Boston’s top-rated prospect is directly impacted by the acquisition of Hosmer. Triston Casas is a 22-year-old left-handed-hitting first baseman who likely would have already debuted this season had he not missed close to two months with an ankle injury. Back in action with Triple-A Worcester since the middle of last month, Casas is viewed as an impact bat at the big-league level. That he plays the same position as Hosmer is a conundrum the team will need to sort out in the months to come.
As for the trade itself, which team ends up getting the better of it is a matter of perspective. If Hosmer helps the Red Sox reach the postseason, and/or one or both of the prospects pans out, we’ll think favorably of Boston, and it’s not as if they have to pay Hosmer much. Meanwhile, the Padres don’t necessarily need Groome to finally fulfill his potential. They mostly just needed to move on from Hosmer as they attempt a deep postseason run. The deal made sense for both sides.
David Laurila grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass. He authored the Prospectus Q&A series at Baseball Prospectus from December 2006-May 2011 before being claimed off waivers by FanGraphs. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidLaurilaQA.
The Sarris curse continues–dumped for less than nothing. Failure and defeat to Eric Hosmer, always.
Amen
“No Longer Needed”. This amuses me.
With all the money San Diego absorbed, this is basically Boston getting a cheaper, younger, lesser version of their annual Mitch Moreland pickup.
Except he blocks Casas and they had to give up a legit prospect to get him?? Sign me up for Mitch Moreland.
I’m hoping that Bloom will be able to flip him to some team not on the no-trade list after this season. With just the league-minimum salary, Hosmer might fetch a depth arm from a team without a
clueclear first baseman.I love that without a clue. LOL
Better Call the Rockies
Padres!
I promise you that in 2023 Hosmer will not be blocking Casas. If Casas beats him out in training camp and shifting Hosmer to DH isn’t an option they will DFA Hosmer. Guaranteed.
This year, yeah, he blocks Casas but given the attention they’ve been paying to 1B I don’t think they want to promote him yet anyway.
Agreed he won’t be blocking Casas. Even if he doesn’t beat Hosmer in training camp, once he’s gotten a couple weeks in Worcester to work on his clubhouse leadership and scooping throws, Casas should be ready to send Hosmer back to the open market.
Just the thought that he might is enough to give me a few sleepless nights.
Not a legit prospect. Groome sucks.
You are right about Hosmer being a lesser version. Mitch Moreland could play for my team any day.
This is an absolutely horrid trade for the Red Sox. Why give up a legitimate pitching prospect for a fairly useless 1B and two lowly-ranked prospects?? Not to mention that Boston’s top prospect is a 1B!!!
Or… They got two lotto tickets in exchange for one, plus picked up a competent first baseman that they basically don’t have to pay. Easy to move on from him when/if Casas is deemed ready!
The lotto tickets they got are useless I wouldn’t even describe them as such. And Hosmer barely meets the definition of competent at this point in his career.
You don’t seem to understand the definition of “lotto ticket.”
Groome is more than a lotto ticket that’s the issue. These guys are worse than lotto tickets they’re extremely unlikely to ever even make it to the big leagues. Groome is in AAA and has the pedigree of being a high pick.
Groome is terrible. At best he’ll be a reliever. His 2016 1st rounder pedigree badge wore out ages ago.
Lefty pitchers are often slow to develop. That’s still a thing, right?
These guys are really long shots and it is hard to see either one ever contributing.
That is also the case for Jay Groome. He has not been a legitimate starting prospect for a long time
If Boston isn’t on the hook for very much money, and Casas is ready to contribute at the big league level next year, then I don’t think Hosmer will block him — they’d probably DFA Hosmer. Easy to do when it’s someone else’s money.
Cool we gave up a legit starting pitching prospect for a guy we’ll get rid of after two months and two nothing prospects
Jay Groome has not been a “legit starting pitching prospect” for years.
Hosmer has a total of 0.3 WAR the past 5 seasons. If you’re picking him up to fill a hole,. that ain’t no hole. That’s a mammoth crater you’re filling…
The first step is to stop digging
This advice works mathematically in this scenario.
yea I felt like this article was way too nice on Hosmer and made it sound like he was a league-average 1B.
Of the 45 1st baseman to qualify for enough PA since 2018, Hosmer’s WAR is 41st ahead of only Ian Desmond, Jake Bauers, Ryan O’Hearn, and obviously Pujols. It’s BEHIND guys that have washed out of the major leagues like Dom Smith and Colin Moran
Red Sox went from having wrc+ 86 -0.6 WAR in 1B to
a player with wrc+ 107 0.4 WAR so far.
The upgrade is equivalent to going from replacement level to league average.
That is less a praise of Hosmer than it is an indictment of Dalbec and Cordero.
This hole is, indeed, a crater. Have you watched Cordero play 1st? He is challenging Wily Mo Pena for the top spot on my worst all-around player list that I have watched in 70+ years of avid fandom.
Franchy Cordero has the most amazing physical gifts and zero instincts. You really have no idea what’s going to happen, and he’s been like this all the way back to his Padres days.
I know you read many of my comments and also understand that I absolute cannot abide with what I will now officially call “The Monte Harrison Profile”. The physically impressive player who appears to have all the tools of a superstar but in actuality can’t play a lick. In most cases that means he can’t hit a moving baseball with a bat but in Cordero’s case it means he can’t play baseball at all. When I say that he is challenging Wily Mo Pena for the top spot on my All-Awful Team it is because his play at 1st base the season has to be seen to be believed. It has to be unprecedented in the level of incompetence ever seen in the Show, except’ of course, for Wily Mo’s outfield play. Team after team believes they can find that the magic snake oil that can bring out the tools but there is a huge difference between having the tools and turning those tools into usable skills. 99 times out of 100 that is all about hitting. We who follow the game closely know the list, Starling, Adell, Harrison, Brinson, yadda, yadda, yadda. I would like to add a name that doesn’t quite fit the template but in a strange way almost does and that is Byron Buxton. There is no denying that he is a very, very valuable player but if could have hit for an average above .244, and had an OPS+ closer to the 155 that Willie had, he would have been called what he was touted to be when he was first signed, The Next Willie Mays.
Byron Buxton has great instincts everywhere except the batter’s box. And even there it appears he has compensated for it by adapting his swing to get massive power since he’s going to whiff a lot anyway. But it is true that even a tiny improvement in swing decisions would go a long way.
70+ years of avid fandom and a fangraphs reader. You made my day! 🙂
Simply a lover of this great game and there is no place on the net that has a better blog with more intelligent and informed participants.
The Economist
This deal on its own merit, I like. Combined with the other moves Bloom made, I do not like it.
If Bloom believes Sox can contend for the wild-card by adding Pham & Hosmer to address holes in the lineup (and the field), then why trade Vasquez? A couple of the Astros 30th-ranked prospects moved the needle that much? (and that ranking is within their organization).
Trading Vasquez created a new hole, and at a premium position with a lot of responsibility. Vasquez was also reportedly very well-liked in the clubhouse and had deep ties with several players, including Bogaerts who he’s been close friends with since they were teenagers in the minors.
And these trades do impact a player’s outlook on the organization. From a Chad Jennings article on the Athletic, about the Vasquez trade:
… Bogaerts was asked if it made him question the direction of the organization.
“I mean, if you ask me, yeah,” he said. “No one saw that coming.”
I don’t get why they move a Vasquez, but add a Hosmer and a Pham. Seems like exchanging one problem for another more so than any tangible improvement to the team’s overall ability to win games.
I’m not defending the moves but the Sox are in last place with 4 teams ahead of them for the last wildcard. Hosmer and Pham are minor upgrades at zero cost to the team. I imagine JDM and Eovaldi would have been moved in the right package, but otherwise a qualifying offer for either of those two after the season and you’ll get the player on a 1 year deal to roughly what they’re making this season, or compensatory draft picks. As much as I like Vazquez, I do not foresee him being worth $18 million next season, so no QO and then grab some lottery ticket prospects.
This. JDM and Eovaldi remain in Boston for the same reason that Contreras is still with the Cubs – their teams feel that the comp pick they’d get for a QO-worthy player is worth more than they saw in any of the offers they got.
Or, alternatively, they misjudged the market and couldn’t pivot fast enough when it became clear they were wrong.
Or maybe they think it’s the first one but it’s really the second.
If you think any team is going to sign JDM if a QO is attached you are sadly mistaken. The power is gone and he looks like a shell of the great hitter he has been. He would have been gone if the Red Sox could have received a couple of low end prospects that Bloom seems to like to acquire.
My only hope is that the Red Sox understand that they can’t get the job done this year and Vasquez has agreed to come back after the rental is over, ala Aroldis Chapman.
There are several catchers on the FA market who are better than Vazquez. Seeing as they tried for Stallings last year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them take a run at Narvaez or Contreras
Given that the Padres are still paying nearly all of Hosmer’s salary, this is essentially a two for one prospect trade
I’m not sure what is controversial about this comment lol
This is basically Jay Groome for Corey Rosier, with Max Ferguson being the throw in to just get Hosmer off the roster and save the Padres $700K.
Eric Hosmer is as relevant to the trade he wasn’t in than the one he was in yesterday.
David – love your writing, but you missed the mark here. Since May 1, in almost exactly the same amount of ABs at 1B, Hosmer has been a significantly worse hitter (78 wRC+ vs 118/93 for Franchy/Dalbec). On the season, he is also a much worse baserunner. Even if you assume his defense is better, Hosmer has been worth -0.6 WAR compared to 0.3 WAR for Franchy/Dalbec. That implies that the best use case for Hosmer is a defensive replacement, but (a) that’s apparently not how he’ll be used and (b) almost any player in baseball could provide better defense than Hosmer with better offense.
Sure, Hosmer could find the fountain of babip luck and send a few more GBs past 2nd base like he did in April, but that applies to any hitter. At the end of the day, it’s a free option for Boston (as the prospect portion of the deal probably stands alone), but it’s hardly an inspired move by Boston
It probably gives Bloom a chance to ask Preller at some future date: “AJ, about that favor you owe me….”
That would really be the biggest plus for Boston to gain from this whole deal.
The Red Sox got a 35+ FV guy in exchange for saving the Padres $2M over three years. It’s not that much of a favor
Dyed very deep in the wool Red Sox fan here simply hates this. I know what Eric Hosmer can do, and it is next to nothing for a team that must be in consistent contention. I absolutely don’t want to see Tristan Casas play for any team other than the Red Sox before we find out if he can play. It seems like the bloom is off Bloom. The Boston fan base was going him before this crazy move and wonders what his game plan is. Sending Christian Vasquez off without anything resembling a major league catcher anywhere to be found at any level of the organization didn’t endear him to the restless faithful either. The Tampa Bay way of trading better players, the name Renfroe comes to mind, for lesser players, need I mention the name of the completely washed up Jackie Bradley, Jr, as long as a couple of lottery ticket prospects are thrown in won’t last too long in Boston. It was tough to swallow when Renfroe returned to Fenway last weekend and went 5 for 9 with a homer in each game, especially with the lack of outfield power has been a glaring hole. That disastrous move, questioned by everybody when it was made, started the rapidly growing disaffection for Bloom. At this time, next year looks ominous. Martinez is clearly cooked which is why the Red Sox couldn’t get a bag of used shags and a broken bat for him. Picking up old and oft-injured pitchers to base the rotation around didn’t work either. Bogaerts, who I wish could be a Red Sox for his entire career, actually should have been traded. He has no place in the lineup after next year, assuming Devers is given the moon, which he deserves. Casas has to be given 1st, Story has been a revelation with the glove and has great tools, power and speed and will be at 2nd, then we get to SS and Bogaerts simply cannot be allowed to block Mayer, as early as 2024. 3rd is out of the question and anybody who thinks Bogaerts arm plays in the outfield is blind. He might be an acceptable DH but no DH, without 40HR power, gets paid anywhere near his asking price. The only strength is the back end of the bullpen. Whitlock is a monster, and a completely different pitcher when he is in the pen, Houck is very good and Schreiber just has to keep throwing what he found in the street somewhere because ain’t nobody going to do much with that rising heater and untouchable slider. Crawford, Winckowski and Bello offer some hope but Sale is now just a mirage and the older starters are just that. It took a long time for me to enjoy these 4 World Series Championships but unless Bloom sharpens his skills quite a lot I may not get to see another one.
Hate this too, for the same reasons.
The only silver lining on the Hosmer deal would be if they can get Lamet on waivers from Milwaukee, and then DFA Hosmer. Somehow, I doubt that’s happening.
I mean Boston has Hosmer for the next three full seasons at the minimum. They tear it down this winter and run him as the first baseman until Casas comes up and then he’s the DH for the rebuild. Very cheap DH for the rebuild.
Did I actually read that you would consider Hosmer, an awful, maybe only very poor, hitter as a DH on a major league team?
I’d rather spend the extra couple million to take a flyer on Nelson Cruz for the 2023 DH.
Maybe a year too late but Nellie Cruz has been one of my favorite players for years as he made the evaluators eat crow for constantly predicting his demise.
Hosmer is a bad player, but he’s far from an “awful” hitter. He has a 107 career wRC+ that he has matched this year.
That is an unacceptable wRC+ for a 1st baseman.