The Boston Red Sox’s inconvenient surplus of outfielders could soon become a solution for the New York Mets.
The Mets are still constructing what they hope will be a World Series roster, but center field is a weak spot. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote about that weakness on Thursday and mentioned three guys the Mets could go after to fix the issue.
“The Mets’ center field situation is every bit as problematic as we feared it might be when they chose that spot to be … uncommonly frugal (this past offseason), rolling with a $5.425 million platoon of Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor,” Miller wrote.
“Siri at least typically provides value with his speed on the basepaths and his range on defense, but that might not be enough at a position that could be the potential Achilles’ heel that keeps the Mets from winning a loaded NL East. … Potential Solutions: Luis Robert Jr., Mike Yastrzemski, Tyler O’Neill.”
One guy that Miller didn’t mention — but could have — is Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.
Rafaela is a wizard defensively who covers acres of territory in the outfield; you can also plug him into the infield positions and he’ll be equally as effective.
And while Rafaela isn’t off to a hot start to the season at the plate, his 2024 rookie numbers suggest that he’ll start mashing as the season goes on. He hit .246/.274/.390 last year with 15 home runs, 75 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.
The Red Sox believe in Rafaela’s long-term potential; it’s why Boston gave the 24-year-old a $50 million extension last April (per Spotrac).
Rafaela’s immense talent isn’t problematic for the Red Sox, but something else is — Boston has an even more talented outfielder than Rafaela waiting in the minors in the form of Major League Baseball’s No. 2 overall prospect, Roman Anthony.
The buzz around Boston is that Anthony should be promoted within weeks, not months, which places Rafaela in an unfortunate situation.
Could the Red Sox keep Rafaela and have Alex Cora plug-and-play him somewhere other than the outfield, perhaps as a utility guy who doesn’t play every day? Sure, but keep in mind that Boston also has a logjam in the infield with Anthony’s fellow stud prospect Marcelo Mayer also overdue for a promotion.
If Rafaela goes to the trade block — which seems like a likely scenario — the Mets could benefit, but there will be other suitors in the National League for Rafaela, including possibly the Philadelphia Phillies.
The rumors around Rafaela will only intensify if he starts hitting again.
After a 2-for-4 day at the plate on Saturday versus the Chicago White Sox that included an RBI triple in the sixth inning off Martín Pérez, Rafaela is slashing .217/.294/.261 on the season and might be starting to heat up.
The Mets are surely watching.
