Inside The Red Sox

Guardians Loosely Linked To Ex-Red Sox Slugger In Order To Bolster Lineup

Boston could lose an important clubhouse presence
Scott Neville|
Guardians Loosely Linked To Ex-Red Sox Slugger In Order To Bolster Lineup
Guardians Loosely Linked To Ex-Red Sox Slugger In Order To Bolster Lineup

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Boston Red SoxCleveland Guardians

The talk surrounding the Boston Red Sox has been centered around their need and desire to upgrade the pitching staff.

While that should remain the priority for Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, there are other holes on the roster. Second base is a light position but the biggest void would be their lack of an impact right-handed bat in the everyday lineup.

Justin Turner was a perfect match for Boston last season both on and off the field but will be much harder to retain moving forward. The veteran slugger has garnered heaps of interest from opposing clubs and could fit into a plethora of organizations. At least one of which resides in the American League Central.

"The (Cleveland) Guardians need to add consistent offense to their lineup and could use another strong clubhouse presence like Turner," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Tuesday. "He had a more than solid year for Boston, slashing .276/.345/.455 with 31 doubles, 23 home runs and 96 RBIs. Turner would fit nicely with the Guardians as the DH and an occasional corner infielder."

The Red Sox appeared to have interest in Turner earlier in the offseason but the addition of Breslow to the front office might have changed the tides. Breslow spoke about using the designated hitter spot to get players off their feet, and appeared to be against the idea of adding a pure slugger that cannot field.

With that said, Turner played 41 games at first base, 10 at second base and seven at third base -- there is a chance his platoon with Triston Casas at first base and ability to spell other infielders occasionally would give Breslow the idea that he's not just a pure designated hitter.

Turner is one of the best right-handed sluggers in a weak position-player market. From an offensive perspective, it would make sense to retain the impact bat. However, Turner's presence forces players such as Masataka Yoshida, Rafael Devers and Casas to field daily, which proved costly last season. It might be better to use the vacancy to get those defensive liabilities off the field.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly 'Particularly Invested' In Sweepstakes For One Highly Coveted Ace

Published
Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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