It has been an offseason of ups and downs for the Boston Red Sox. They lost fan favorites such as Xander Bogaerts, Nate Eovaldi, and J.D. Martinez but shockingly re-signed star 3B Rafael Devers to a monster 10 year/$313.5 million contract extension which will keep him in Boston until 2033. It is by far the most lucrative deal in Red Sox history.
The latest gut punch came in the form of Trevor Story needing elbow surgery, a procedure that will sideline him indefinitely. In this article, I will take a look at five potential middle infielders the Sox can target via trade. Since they currently only have one middle infielder on the roster (Christian Arroyo), 2B and SS are both a glaring need for 2023.
1. RHP Tanner Houck, RHP Kutter Crawford, and LHP Chris Murphy to the San Diego Padres for SS Ha-Seong Kim and LHP Adrian Morejon
The Padres just signed the X man, and with superstar Fernando Tatis expected to return to the field on April 20, the slick fielding Kim just became dispensable. According to Baseballtradevalues, Houck and Kim are almost exactly equal in value. I decided to throw in a couple SP prospects to nab Adrian Morejon for some more bullpen help as well.
Ha-Seong is the perfect fit. He is under contract thru 2026, which should definitely be enough time for top prospect Marcelo Mayer to be knocking at the door. Kim can play SS for the next few years and Trevor Story, upon his return, can stick at 2B. Story was unbelievable defensively in 2022, his first year manning the keystone. Kim has plenty of versatility, having played 2B, 3B, and SS at above average levels in the two years since he came stateside, and he’s also a right-handed bat, which the Red Sox desperately need to balance out the lineup.
This trade would be my top choice of all.
2. SS Matthew Lugo, C Connor Wong, and LHP Brandon Walter to the Colorado Rockies for 2B Brendan Rodgers
The Colorado Rockies are a complete mess. Brendan Rodgers has had his development stymied for years, and with this deal the Rockies do a little replenishing of their farm system while the Red Sox get a guy who can play SS until Story returns, and then potentially move back to 2B.
Rodgers has played much more 2B in his career than SS, which isn’t ideal. Trevor Story, as previously mentioned, is Gold Glove caliber at 2B and with a surgically repaired elbow it’d be much better to keep him there, but he has proven he can handle SS defensively in the past. Rodgers has been marred by injuries, playing time issues, and classic Colorado Rockies mishandling but there is still hope for him. He’s not quite as “shiny” a piece as Kim, but he’s still only 26 years old and there is much time to still grow into his once massive potential. This trade also works because the Red Sox wouldn’t have to touch their major league roster. All that rebuilding that Chaim Bloom has done on the farm can finally start to make an impact.
3. 1B Triston Casas and RHP Tanner Houck to the Miami Marlins for SS Jazz Chisholm
The sign of a good trade is one that makes both teams uncomfortable. This is that trade.
Sox fans are mesmerized by the new 1B of the future, Triston Casas, but if a deal for Jazz Chisholm makes itself available, you gotta take a shot. Chisholm is great. He’s another player who might be better as a 2B long term, but can easily man SS as well if the Sox elect to keep Story at 2B indefinitely.
Jazz Chisholm checks all the boxes you want checked in a superstar player: good defensively, above average power and speed, and a great personality to boot. Losing Casas would be tough, but it’s not everyday a player like Chisholm can be acquired. Getting someone this good would cause problems down the line once Mayer is ready, but this move decreases the pressure greatly and would allow Mayer to not be rushed like many prospects before him were. I’m looking at you, Jarren Duran.
4. OF Ceddanne Rafaela, OF Miguel Bleis, and 2B Nick Yorke to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B/SS Gavin Lux and LHP Caleb Ferguson
This trade is very interesting. The Dodgers have a glutton of position players, and with the addition of Miguel Rojas in a trade earlier this week I can’t see why checking in on Lux’s availability would be a bad thing. The Sox would also nab the nasty lefty Caleb Ferguson who just pitched to a 1.82 ERA while striking out 9.6 per nine in 2022.
I don’t know how to feel about this trade. Lux has been disappointing thus far in his big league career, to the tune of a .253/.329/.383 slash line and a 99 wRC+ across 4 big league seasons. That means he’s the exact type of player Chaim Bloom has proven time and time again he likes to take a chance on. Lux can play all around the infield and outfield, but doesn’t exactly field any position above average. His bat is what made him the game’s top prospect back in 2019.
The package going out is quite hefty. One would think this package could go a long way in acquiring a starting pitcher like Marlins’ Pablo Lopez, but that’s not what this exercise is for. It’s got the best of both worlds, selling high on Rafaela while selling low on Nick Yorke. If the Sox dug this deep into their farm system for a stopgap MI, I’d be completely stunned.
5. OF Alex Verdugo, OF Miguel Bleis, and LHP Brandon Walter to the Minnesota Twins for 2B Luis Arraez and RHP Kenta Maeda
I have loved Luis Arraez for a long time, and he’s not much of a defender, but you are getting one of the best pure hitters in the league in his prime. Arraez slashed .316/.375/.420 in 2022, good for a 131 wRC+. He is the exact type of hitter Bloom has brought in so far this offseason, guys who will cut down on the Sox strikeout rate and slap line drives all over the field.
Arraez can play every position on the field, and he was actually above average in 277 innings of 2B last year. Kenta Maeda was putrid in 2022 (4.66 ERA), but his xERA was almost a run lower at 3.73. A backend starter at this point in his career, Maeda is set to take home $3 million in 2023, the last year of his contract.
On the Red Sox side, they are parting ways with Dugie. I’ve been up and down personally on Verdugo since he was brought over as the main piece of the Mookie Betts trade in 2020. He’s a good enough bat to ball specialist that he’ll always have a starting spot on an MLB team, but the shadow of Mookie never quite went away. Add to that the fact that he’s a very bad defender and I’m not really hesitant at all to trade him.
While none of these trades will get done exactly as laid out, I believe it is imperative for the Red Sox to make at least one move to address the gaping middle infield hole. Christian Arroyo is a decent hitter and seems like a great guy, but let’s face it: He’s not a starting caliber player on a competitive team and he is ALWAYS hurt.
There’s still plenty of work to do for CBO Chaim Bloom as we approach a month to go until Spring Training arrives. I am still pretty disgusted with Red Sox ownership but I’ll admit, they pulled me back in with the Rafael Devers extension.
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