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, an in-house veteran who is one of the best hitters in the game… in one particular scenario.
After the 2024 season Rob Refsnyder considered retiring. But he didn’t, explaining:
“Really it was just the conversation, last year was my last guaranteed deal with here,” Refsnyder said. “…I didn’t really know the future. If no one has interest then yeah, I’d go on and do the next thing. I’m happy I’m here and this is my last year here that I guaranteed so we’ll see what happens.”
OTM’s Maura McGurk wrote about 2024 as his career year! How could he think about walking away? And now as a free agent, he’s facing the same choice: hang up as a player or roll the dice another time.
Who is he and where does he come from?
Rob Refsnyder was taken in the fifth round of the 2012 draft by the New York Yankees. He’d spend the first two-and-a-half seasons in the majors (2015-2017) playing primarily second base but also some first base and both outfield corners. And one time he appeared at third. remember that for Immaculate Grid. You’ll thank me later.
Midway through the 2017 season he’d find himself sent to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Then he spent a year with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Then a year in Texas with the Rangers and one more with the Minnesota Twins.
Refsnyder wouldn’t arrive in Boston until 2022 and, finally, hopefully, begin to unpack.
Is he any good?
Over his four years with the Red Sox the righty has compiled a .276/.364/.440 line with 27 home runs, 48 doubles, and 100 walks (225 strikeouts) over 309 games, largely as a platoon bat against southpaws.
He averaged 0.9 bWAR per season as a part-time player. Per 162 game he was worth about 1.9 bWAR. He’s doing some good work off the bench.
That does come with his limitation: he really is a platoon bat. Against right-handed pitching he’s hit a pedestrian .229/.301/.332 in his career. But put him in against lefties and it’s a different story: 281/.383/.443. Nearly 200 points of OPS different.
TLDR; just give me his 2025 stats.
In 209 plate appearances across 70 games Refsnyder hit .269/.354/.484 which breaks down to .212/.268/.348 against righties and a whopping .302/.399/.560 against lefties. That’s an OPS that’s reaching towards 1.000. He crushed lefties in a way that was rare even for him. It was an admittedly small sample, but still, put him in a place he can succeed and good things can happen.
Why would he be a good fit on the 2025 Red Sox?
You could almost make it a chant:
“What do we want?”
“Right-handed power!”
“When do we want it?”
“NOW!”
The Sox know Refsnyder. They like Refsnyder. He’s one of the mythical clubhouse guys and “coach on the field” types who envisions getting into coaching or the front office when he’s done as a player. He’s got veteran status and leadership for whatever that’s worth — which is definitely something — on a team that has turned over its legacy players rather fast.
And he’s probably looking at one year for low money.
Why wouldn’t he be a good fit on the Red Sox?
Have you seen the outfield logjam? Even after trading Password, the Sox still have depth at the major league level they can trade from. Refsnyder is limited defensively. He’s getting up there in age (which is also on the positives list for seeking less but what can you do) and does tend to have some nagging injuries. Do they really make room for a fourth or fifth outfielder when you may still need coverage for center field and a lefty platoon partner?
Show me a cool highlight.
Only the longest home run hit by a Red Sox player this season.
Smash or pass?
Assuming they trade Duran or Abreu and regardless of signing Alex Bregman or trading for Ketel Marte (both righties), the Red Sox need someone in the outfield who is a big bat in some way against opposing lefties. So smash this one all day. But if they don’t trade any outfielders then there really is no space to put him when you consider a healthy Masa using the DH spot and a little bit of left field rotation. But there are many great roster permutations with Rob Refsnyder on the 26-man, sitting next to Alex Cora, and (I assume) regaling Roman Anthony with stories of his many years in baseball.
Plus he was mentioned in an episode of Reacher. Given as an alias. How much cooler can one player be?
