Red Sox Acquire Affordable 3B in Smart Move

Eduardo Nunez is not Yoenis Cespedes. He is not J.D. Martinez. He isn’t Carlos Beltran, or Jonathan Lucroy, or anything like the impact bats that we’ve seen moved around before the trade deadline that help teams make the playoff push.

Despite this, he’s getting moved at the deadline to a contender, the Boston Red Sox, like all of the big names mentioned above. While it might seem odd that the Red Sox, who are in the midst of yet another heated AL East race, moved for a rather-mediocre bat, it’s really a smart move for the Sox.

Nunez is a mediocre player — but that’s okay

It’s no secret that the Red Sox have needed a 3B this season. The Red Sox are dead last in the majors in 3B fWAR. No fewer than 7 brave souls have taken the hot corner for Boston this season, and only one has actually posted more than 0.0 fWAR — shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin.

Nunez isn’t a good player by any stretch of the imagination. His plate discipline isn’t great, as evidenced by his 3.8% BB%, he’s largely a singles hitter, as evidenced by his .107 ISO, and he’s only about an average player defensively.

But for the Red Sox, Nunez will be like a godsend compared to the nightmare that has been 2017 Boston 3B. Nunez’s league average bat and slightly below average defense are both dramatic improvements for the Red Sox at the hot corner, and while the Red Sox don’t have the greatest offense in the league, it’s still nothing to sneeze at. Using Nunez at 3B represents the Red Sox turning a net loss into a net-zero situation.

Nunez comes cheap

There’s a great appeal to contenders at the deadline in acquiring talent that doesn’t require them emptying their farm system. Good farm systems are what keeps teams in contention season after season, and to hold onto one’s precious prospects during “WIN-NOW” mode means that “WIN-NOW” mode lasts even longer.

Nunez isn’t one of the guys for which teams need to empty the farm system. Nunez is an average player, as mentioned above, and he has a cheap contract — $4.2 million for the season, with a good portion of that already covered by the Giants. There’s no real contract for either team to eat here, and the Giants aren’t expecting a king’s haul in their return for a mediocre position player (especially in this market). This is a savy move on the Red Sox’s part that doesn’t significantly impact their farm system.

Nunez is versatile

Nunez has played a variety of roles in his lengthy MLB career. While he primarily played 3B for the Giants, he’s found his way all across the infield and outfield, recording time at SS, 2B, LF, and RF in addition to 3B.

Nunez’s versatility, coupled with his ability to play SS, means that he can fill a number of roles with the Red Sox. No one on the Red Sox’s 25 man roster has played at SS except Xander Bogaerts, so Nunez could step in and give him a day off. Same goes for Pedroia and 2B — Nunez can easily fill in there if necessary, and the Red Sox won’t be forcing someone to play out of position.

This move is smart for both teams involved. The Red Sox give up a few fringe RPs that aren’t an integral part of their farm system to acquire a reasonable 3B, and the Giants jettison an average player but still get a decent return. Win/win for everyone involved — who wouldn’t be happy.