The Red Sox once chose Rafael Devers over him. Now do they need him back?
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Next up, a former top prospect.
Who is he and where does he come from?
He’s old friend Yoan Moncada, and he comes to this series via pure desperation. About 10 years ago, Moncada was the next big thing, rising to as high as number two on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects list. Every trade rumor hinged on whether the Red Sox would be willing to move on from the Cuban infielder. Of course, they eventually did trade Moncada as the centerpiece of the Chris Sale return, and the infielder spent 2017 to 2024 with the White Sox. After 2024, he signed a one-year deal with the Angels. One year passed, and now he’s on the market once again.
Is he any good?
Like any 30-year-old free agent who just played on a one-year, $5 million contract, he has his flaws. I wouldn’t be writing about him if there wasn’t something to like, though. He posted a 116 OPS+ in 2025, meaning there’s value in the bat. He’s several years and several injuries removed from his peak, but he did put together seasons of 5.1 and 4.1 bWAR in 2019 and 2021. He’s not without flaws, and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever get back on track due to injuries, but at the very least, he’s talented.
TL;DR, just give me his 2025 stats
84 G, .234 AVG, .336 OBP, .448 SLG, 12 HR, 26% K%, 11.1% BB%, 0.7 bWAR
Why would he be a good fit for the Red Sox?
Well, he plays third base. If you haven’t been following the news, the Red Sox are missing one of those. Aside from that, he can hit. He has a strong understanding of the strike zone and takes his walks. He also has above-average bat speed and has turned that into power. Despite playing hurt in 2025, he turned in a .448 slugging percentage with 12 home runs in 84 games. Strikeouts have been a problem throughout his career, but he impacts the ball well when he does connect. He didn’t have enough playing time to qualify for leaderboards, but he pulled the ball in the air at a rate that would have placed him inside the top-30 in baseball. Moncada switch hits, but an injury prevented him from hitting right-handed for most of 2025. His pulled fly balls are primarily left-handed, which aren’t as valuable as those from the right at Fenway, but pulled fly balls are positive either way.
Why wouldn’t he be a good fit on the Red Sox?
In just half a season, he accumulated -13 outs above average and -10 defensive runs saved. I’m an optimist, and I think the Red Sox signing Moncada is a real possibility (no, I don’t have sources), so I won’t say that he was the worst defensive third baseman in baseball in 2025, but I wouldn’t correct you if you said he was. Before joining the Angels, however, he was a fairly average defender. From 2021 to 2025, his lowest OAA mark for a season was -1, while his highest was a very respectable 5. While I don’t expect him to be a gold glove defender, it’s fair to wonder if the knee injury he dealt with limited his effectiveness.
Speaking of injuries, they’ve plagued him throughout his career. He hasn’t played more than 104 games since 2021. The best ability is probably invisibility, but availability isn’t far behind, and Moncada hasn’t been available for much of his career.
What would he cost?
Last year, he played for $5 million. He’s entering his age-31 season and isn’t going to command a long-term deal with his injury history. Baseball America projected he’ll get a one-year, $15 million contract. My very sophisticated player valuation model spat out two years, $23.5 million.
Show me a cool highlight.
Listen to that sound.
Smash or Pass?
If it were up to me, the Red Sox would sign Bo Bichette, keep Marcelo Mayer at third, and see what happens. I’ve been wrong before, notably about where Bregman would end up, but I don’t see that happening. If you want to watch Eugenio Suarez try to hit 60 home runs onto the Mass Pike, I don’t blame you. I don’t think a 35% strikeout rate player is going to bring you a championship, though. Moncada probably won’t either, but if the stars align, he could be a 3 bWAR player for a season. The ceiling is there, and he’s not going to cost much, which is apparently important these days. If you told me in October that Yoan Moncada would start at third base in 2026, I’d be sick. For the sake of sticking with the outdated metaphor in the title, it’s 2 a.m., and the bar is closing, so I guess you could do worse. Smash, reluctantly.
Author’s Note: This is probably a bad idea. Trade for Isaac Parades, sign Bo Bichette, get literally anyone who is a proven productive player. Ignore what I have to say; I’m just a fan in crisis.
Category: General Sports
