3 Red Sox on the 40-Man Roster Who Need to Go This Offseason

2. Bobby Dalbec

It is time for the Bobby Dalbec experiment to be over. Dalbec came up through the Red Sox farm system as a highly touted prospect and earned the starting first base job on Opening Day in 2021. For a time, he seemed destined to be the club's first baseman of the future.

There is no denying that Dalbec has had flashes of greatness, but if he has been consistent at anything, it is being inconsistent.

He earned American League Rookie of the Month after raking in August 2021, batting .339 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. 2021 proved to be his best season, as Dalbec went yard 25 times and knocked in 78 runs. Hitting for contact has always been his Achilles' heel, and even in his strongest season in 2021, he hit a middling .240 while striking out 156 times.

In 2022, Dalbec hit .215 in 117 games in Boston, and found himself optioned to Triple-A Worcester in September. He started the 2023 campaign back in Worcester, and through several stints in the bigs during last season, he barely topped the Mendoza Line at .204. Dalbec's power numbers were almost non-existent as well, as he only connected on one long ball and struck out 28 times in 49 at bats. That solo home run also accounted for his only RBI in Boston.

The emergence of Triston Casas has also rendered Dalbec disposable, the 23-year-old first baseman finished third in the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year Voting. Dalbec did display some versatility last season in Worcester as he appeared at third base, shortstop, and right field in addition to his regular first base spot, so it is possible that defensive versatility leaves the door cracked open for him.

If Dalbec does have any trade value left, perhaps the Red Sox are able to sell high to a rebuilding team that is banking on his power upside after his 33 homers in Triple-A last season.