Red Sox Reportedly Sign Utility Man Marwin Gonzalez To One-Year Deal
BOSTON (CBS) -- After dealing away Andrew Benintendi on Wednesday, the Red Sox added an extremely versatile defensive player on Thursday. Boston reportedly signed free-agent utility man Marwin Gonzalez to a one-year deal worth $3 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Gonzalez played under manager Alex Cora when the Sox skipper was the bench coach of the Houston Astros. Gonzalez, 31, played seven seasons for the Astros before spending the last two seasons with the Minnesota Twins.
For his career, Gonzalez is a .261 hitter who averages about 15 homers and 50-plus RBIs a year. His best season came in 2017 when he slashed .303/.377/.530 with 23 home runs and 90 RBIs, helping the Astros in their run to a World Series title. He struggled in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, hitting just .211 with five dingers and 22 RBIs in 53 games for Minnesota.
But he's a switch-hitter and has a lot of versatility on defense, so Gonzalez should be able to help plug some holes in Boston. He has experience at all four infield positions and played both right and left field during his stint with the Twins.
