Red Sox: Five Possible Trade Targets!
A quintet of right handed hitters for the Red Sox to explore acquiring
JASON KELLY:
Brendan Rodgers (SS/2B - Colorado Rockies)
If the Red Sox are serious about adding a right-handed bat to their lineup at the trade deadline then they should target Brendan Rodgers from the Colorado Rockies.
Rodgers is a former 1st round pick, #3 overall in the 2015 draft, who has yet to really put it all together so far in his big league career.
At just 27 years old he still has upside provided he can stay healthy which, admittedly, has hampered him in the past. Plus, he still has one year of team control remaining in 2025 which makes him an ideal candidate to provide depth in the middle infield in case Trevor Story or Vaughn Grissom continue to be plagued with injuries going forward.
Rodgers got off to a slow start this season, but bounced back by slashing .290/.321/.355 in May, and .333/.365/.625 in June. Not to mention a Gold Glove winner in 2022, has always had a the steady glove to help stabilize defense up the middle.
Despite being a former 1st-round pick trading for Rodgers shouldn’t cost the Red Sox anything too significant. Colorado is in the weeds of a long rebuild and they have been infamously fleeced by other teams in the trade market, such as when they traded Nolan Arenado several years ago. This should be an easy deal for Craig Breslow to make if he wants to.
JEREMY SCHILLING:
Justin Turner (1B/DH - Toronto Blue Jays)
My answer is based on what I know about ownership and the squeeze that is being put on Breslow to not use significant resources (i.e. money nor young talent/prospects).
For example, while Vladamir Guerrero Jr. seems like he would fit what we need (middle of the lineup, righthand bat, and ability to play first base), the cost will be way too high.
As to the money he will be making a pro-rata share of the remaining portion of his salary for this season at $19.9 million. While he is under team control through 2026, his arbitration numbers are unknown.
Conservatively Guerrero will garner $20+ million in 2025 and $25+ million in 2026. Ownership is not going to assume those prices.
Furthermore, he is going to take a significant package of prospects including a possible big leaguer. Again, ownership has shown through Bloom, and I am going to assume through Breslow as well, that they do not want to move high-end prospects.
For that reason, bigger names/established players are likely not going to happen. Which makes no sense given that the organization is reaching a bottleneck where the number of prospects outnumber the available spots on the big-league roster. For the record, my preference is to go get Vlad.
My realistic pick is Justin Turner. He has already been successful in Boston, so I am not worried about the City swallowing him whole during a pennant race.
Another reason why Turner is my favorite target is that he can hold down first base until Triston Casas gets back, and then be a right-handed utility guy.
Additionally, he will only be owed a fraction of his $13 million salary, which the Blue Jays may be willing to pay a large portion of, and is not under contract for next season (he will be 40 in the off season).
As a result, he will almost certainly not require Breslow to part with anything considered a significant prospect.
To be clear, if ownership wasn’t treating the team like a failing Dollar Store, my choice is to load up and spend both with assets and dollars.
However, we know they will not do that. It makes no sense to hope for a change of direction from ownership when they have done nothing except for putting Sam Kennedy in front of NESN cameras to lie right in the face of the fan base.
As a result, Justin Turner is the best fit given who currently owns the team.
NICK DIAMOND:
Mark Canha (1B/OF/DH - Detroit Tigers)
When Craig Breslow accepted the job to be the Red Sox new Chief Baseball Officer in October, he knew about this team’s inability to hit left-handed pitching and the lack of quality right-handed hitters within the system.
During his introductory press conference, Breslow was asked about what the 2024 team needs to improve on from the previous season.
He responded by highlighting three areas: starting pitching development; the importance of defense; and a right-handed bat to balance out the abundance of lefties on the roster.
Breslow’s offseason plan to fix the need of a right-handed bat was to trade for Tyler O’Neill and Vaughn Grissom.
O’Neill has been equal to or worse than 2023 Justin Turner, and Grissom has only played in twenty-three games and has produced a negative .5 WAR.
Fast forward to the All-Star break and the Red Sox currently have a record of 53-42, but are only 12-15 against left-handed starters this season. They have also struck out 307 times while facing left-handed pitchers which is the most in the league.
My favorite right-handed trade target that can fit the needs of the Red Sox is Mark Canha of the Detroit Tigers.
Although his stats for the season look less than ideal, he is slashing (.286/403/476) against left-handed pitchers this season.
Canha would be a fantastic platoon option with Dominic Smith at first base until Triston Casas is back and completely healthy.
When Casas is back he would be a great option to replace Masataka Yoshida who is slashing (.140,.196,.279) against lefties this season.
Canha has had plenty of success against the American League East this season where he is batting .364 with two home runs and nine RBI’s. Another plus side is his postseason experience which is something that many players on this Red Sox team are lacking.
Anyone with baseball knowledge, including Craig Breslow, knew the Red Sox needed a right-handed bat this offseason and that they still will need to acquire an upgrade at the trade deadline.
CHARLIE SMITH:
Spencer Steer (Super Utility - Cincinnati Reds)
If I had an option to get someone, I would pick Spencer Steer from Cincinnati.
I love what he brings to the table, and his slash line outside of May has been pretty consistent.
Steer can hit for power with his 15 bombs on the 2024 season. And with his overall slash line of .242/15/60/14, there’s additional opportunities there for stolen bases. The walk numbers aren’t bad either.
With the impending and expected loss of Tyler O’Neill this may be the perfect addition with team control who begins his first year of arbitration in 2026, it would not surprise me if Steer hit the .280/30/100 as early as next season.
He has the capability of playing the corner outfield spots in addition to first, second, and third base.
Also for that added bonus, we’ll have someone to spell Yoshida aginst lefties.
Can’t go wrong.
TERRY CUSHMAN JR
Randy Arozarena (OF - Tampa Bay Rays)
If Craig Breslow wants to make a statement, he should call up the Tampa Bay Rays, and ask what it would take to acquire Randy Arozarena.
It will require a significant prospect/current major leaguer. Perhaps a guy like Wilyer Abreu or Roman Anthony (not both) could headline the package with a mid-level prospect added in.
Arozarena started this season off slow. But in the last month he’s hitting .294/.396/.516/.914
His post season numbers? How does .336/.414/.690/1.104 sound?
A heart of the lineup that has Devers, Arozarena, and Casas would be LETHAL.
If the Red Sox are facing a lefty starting pitcher, you could have an outfield of Arozarena, Duran, Refsnyder/O’Neill
And then Arozarena, Duran, and Abreu/O’Neill in the outfield against righties. With Rafaela playing shortstop for the remainder of the season in any scenario.
Arozarena is not a free agent until 2027, his age 32 season. So he’s not a rental, and will take a ton of pressure off of Breslow this winter if he can execute this type of trade.