The Boston Red Sox and free agent outfielder Adam Duvall are in agreement on a one-year, $7 million deal, reports Craig Mish. Much of Duvall's time the last several seasons has been spent with the Braves, save for a brief hiatus in Miami.
In 86 games for the Braves last season, Duvall hit .213/.276/.401 (87 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBI, 39 runs and -0.1 WAR. He was to have a prominent role in the outfield, but lost out on regular playing time once Ronald Acuña, Jr. returned from injury and eventual Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II was promoted from the minors. Duvall was a full-time starter during the Braves' run to the 2021 World Series championship after they acquired him from the Marlins in a July trade. He hit 38 homers with an NL-best 113 RBI in 2021.
In fact, during the three seasons in which Duvall has played in at least 145 games, he's hit at least 31 home runs with at least 99 RBI.
He has spent time in all three outfield spots, though most of his MLB time has come in left field.
As things stand, though, it's possible the Red Sox will want Duvall in center. Newly acquired Masataka Yoshida is a left fielder and that is expected to push Alex Verdugo to right field. Jarren Duran is also an option in center. He swings the bat left-handed while Duvall is a righty, so a platoon seems in order.
The Red Sox still appear to need another infielder in the wake of the Trevor Story injury, but Duvall does help their outfield depth and could allow the team to move Kiké Hernandez from the outfield to shortstop.
