Red Sox sign former All-Star infielder C.J. Cron to minor league deal
Cron is a right-handed hitter and will compete with Bobby Dalbec for a spot on Boston's Opening Day roster.
Less than two weeks after Alex Cora told reporters Bobby Dalbec had a shot at an Opening Day roster spot, his path to one got a lot trickier.
That’s because Boston signed C.J. Cron, a former All-Star, to a minor league deal on Friday morning, MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported. The Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier added that if Cron makes the Opening Day roster, he’ll make $2 million with incentives that could add up to $500,000 more.
Though it’s officially categorized as a minor league deal for Cron, he is unlikely to be sent to Worcester prior to opening day. He’s classified as an XX-B free agent, meaning that if the Red Sox elect not to add him to the Opening Day roster, he will either be guaranteed his release or be given a $100,000 retention bonus to keep him around until June 1.
Cron was an All-Star in 2022 but didn’t have as productive a year in 2023. The 34-year-old has a career .260 batting average, and in 2022 he hit 29 home runs and 102 RBIs. Last season, though, he only had 12 home runs and 37 RBIs. Those are his lowest outputs since his rookie season in 2014 (excluding the shortened 2020 season).
His primary position is first base, but Triston Casas will almost certainly occupy that role full-time. Still, Boston needs more right-handed bats in the lineup, and Cron would provide that.
Dalbec now has an uphill battle toward beginning the season in Boston. Given the experience Cron brings and the fact that Dalbec still has a minor league option remaining, the young slugger will need to play very well in training camp to prove worthy of a bench spot over Cron.
The Red Sox are only a week into spring training and still have plenty of time to evaluate their options ahead of opening day.
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