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If Jackie Bradley Jr. was going to make the Opening Day roster, the Red Sox were going to need to make a cut from the 40-man roster. Now we know that Mauro Gomez is the man on the chopping block
Gomez, 28, made some small noise with the Red Sox last year, picking up a good few at bats as the team sleepwalked its way to the offseason. As a no-glove first baseman, Gomez provided a line of .275/.324/.422, decent enough to earn some talk as a possible stop gap for the Red Sox amongst fans who had low expectations of the team's willingness to spend in the offseason, especially as the Mike Napoli negotiations dragged on and on.
Ultimately, though, it's no grat surprise to see Gomez designated for assignment. The International League MVP for 2012, he fits in that category of Quadruple-A first basemen we've seen so often in the likes of Jeff Bailey and Chris Carter (the one who played in Pawtucket, not the one on the Astros) who rake in the minors but can't get over that hump to hit major league pitching well enough to earn a spot.
If Gomez clears waivers, then he will be a useful bit of depth in the minor leagues. For now, though, he's behind both Daniel Nava and Mike Carp at first, to say nothing of Mike Napoli, making him an easy loss to absorb for the Red Sox.
