They didn't need an OF'er? Our OF was close to the worst in MLB, last year.
We had the 4th worst OF fWAR in MLB, last year and the 6th worst season in the last 2 seasons individually.
I'm not defending protecting him over Ward.
I made the point he is not in the same class as Rafaela- too skilled to leave unprotected, even if not ready for 2023 use, per se.
Maybe, they felt someone would take him, and they think, over time, he will grow into a worthy player, but who knows if he will, or not?
You'd think he's playing FT SS in AAA and doing well. He can even PR. We have 4 middle IF'er down, and he's still not high enough on the depth chart?
I remember with Duran, the thought was his defense was so bad, we didn't want to place him in a position to embarrass himself.