Chaim Bloom on adding to the roster: 'I mean, we'll never act like we're done'
Will the Red Sox add another infielder before Spring Training? What in house candidates can win a spot on the major league roster?
The Red Sox made a trade on Friday afternoon sending Franklin German to the White Sox for right-handed minor league pitcher Theo Denlinger. With pitchers and catchers set to report to Fort Myers in a few weeks, could the Red Sox still add to the roster for the upcoming season?
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom made an appearance on MassLive.com’s Fenway Rundown podcast and answered that question.
“I don’t know. I mean, we’ll never act like we’re done,” Bloom said. “We’re still going to keep talking to clubs and chasing things down. We do that constantly. Having said that, if this is the group that we roll into the season with, I like the group that we have. But we’re not going to sit here and act like we’re done.”
One area the Red Sox could still upgrade is the team’s middle infield. With Trevor Story missing a big portion of the season, Boston is relying on Kiké Hernández at shortstop and Christian Arroyo at second base. The Red Sox also acquired infielder Adalberto Mondesí from the Royals for depth. Mondesi is expected to miss time to begin the season as he recovers from a knee injury.
Bloom has said the team will continue to look for additional infielders. Free agents Elvis Andrus and Jose Iglesias remain unsigned. If the Red Sox wanted to bring these players in, they would have been signed by now. It’s likely the club is looking to land one of these two players to MiLB deal.
The club’s 40-man roster has very little wiggle room at the moment. If the Red Sox signed Andrus or Iglesias, they could add them to the 40-man roster at the end of the spring once Story is eligible to be placed on the 60-day injured list.
The Red Sox did invite four internal infielders to Spring Training. Christian Koss, Ryan Fitzgerald, Nick Sogard and Matthew Lugo will get a chance to compete for a roster spot on the major league roster.
Fitzgerald is the only player of the four who has Triple-A experience. The 28-year-old played 128 games for the WooSox last season. Bloom and his front office values players getting playing time at the Triple-A level.
Other candidates such as Niko Goodrum and Enmanuel Valdez could impress and take one of the last bench spots for 2023.
With pitchers and catchers reporting soon, if the Red Sox are going to add someone to compete for a job, they will need to make a move soon.
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