Red Sox manager Alex Cora not ruling out Bobby Dalbec as an option for 2024 roster
Red Sox infielder Bobby Dalbec has been talked about as a potential trade candidate the last couple of seasons. On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke highly of Dalbec, giving him a vote of confidence on potentially sticking around.
Cora was asked by the media if Dalbec could be a right-handed backup option to first baseman Triston Casas.
“I think there’s a great opportunity for Bobby to be part of this,” Cora said. “He can play first. He can play third. He played the outfield towards the end of the season. He’s been able to hit lefties. In the situation we’re in right now, it makes sense for him. If everything goes well and nothing changes, there’s a good chance that he’ll be that guy.”
Cora said that he will utilize Casas as his everyday first baseman, giving him a bigger vote of confidence than Dalbec getting a shot at making the roster next season.
Dalbec made only 53 plate appearances with the Sox in 2023. He mashed with the WooSox, batting .269 and smacked 33 homers with 79 RBIs this past season.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters that other teams have shown interest in Dalbec.
“The versatility is incredibly valuable and he balances out the lineup a little bit and hits the ball really hard,” Breslow told reporters, per Cotillo. “I think he has had a track record of success in the minor leagues and, typically, really strong upper-level minor league performance is indicative of major league performance at some point. We have to figure out how to identify the right runway because those underlying characteristics are real.”
Breslow added to reporters from the Winter Meetings: “I think teams are in tune with some of those underlying metrics that make him really valuable. But also, I don’t want to discount the possibility that the change of scenery is Fenway Park (from Polar Park).”
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