Red Sox Trade Rumors: Long-shot blockbuster deals we wish would happen
The Boston Red Sox may not feel the pressure to make a bold move on the trade market this winter but here are five deals we wish they could pull off.
Trade rumor season is upon us! A Boston Red Sox team basking in the glow of a World Series championship may not feel obligated to make a blockbuster deal yet Dealin’ Dave Dombrowski has never been shy about making bold moves.
The free agent market is highlighted by a pair of superstar hitters yet neither appears to be a fit in Boston. There’s no room in the Red Sox outfield for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado didn’t exactly endear himself to this fan base during his years in Baltimore.
Boston made a splash in free agency last winter by signing J.D. Martinez. This year, the focus should be on retaining their own free agents. After a year in which they had the highest payroll in baseball, expect the Red Sox to show restraint in shelling out a mega-contract for one of the top free agents.
Trading for a star player could be a different story. Whether it be acquiring a player on a reasonable contract or making a deal that allows them to alleviate payroll concerns by sending some salary out in exchange, the trade route is the more viable path to adding an impact player.
Any of the deals we’re about to discuss should be considered a long shot. We’re shooting for the moon here. Boston may not have enough pieces to make it happen yet each of the following players is potentially available on the trade market and would represent a significant upgrade to this team.
In a perfect world, the Red Sox would be set at second base for the next few years with Dustin Pedroia locked up through 2021. Sadly, that’s not the world we live in. How much faith can we have in the 35-year old to be an everyday player at this stage of his career?
Re-signing Gold Glove winner Ian Kinsler is an option, although his age and decline are concerns as well. Eduardo Nunez is back for another season but his defense at second base made him a liability. Brock Holt is best served in a utility role where he can be moved around the diamond. These are underwhelming short-term solutions the Red Sox could turn to if Pedroia can’t return to form and without a second baseman ranked among their top-20 prospects, it may be time to look for a long-term solution.
Enter Merrifield, who isn’t exactly young considering he’ll turn 30 before next season but he is under team control until 2023. The Kansas City Royals are years away from contending and should be open to moving one of their few remaining chips while he still has value.
Merrifield set career-highs with a .304 average and .806 OPS while leading the league with 192 hits and 45 stolen bases. His bat provides a modest amount of pop with 43 doubles this season and he’s only a year removed from a career-best 19 home runs. He’s an above-average defensive second baseman with the versatility to move around to a few other positions.
He was never a top prospect and nothing from his minor league track record suggests Merrifield would become the player he is now. Perhaps he’s a late bloomer but the Royals would be wise to sell high while they can. A couple of mid-tier prospects plus a major-league ready contributor such as Blake Swihart or Sam Travis could be enough to interest the Royals.
The Red Sox have three catchers on their roster but none of them are great options. Sandy Leon has value for his defense and rapport with the pitching staff but he can’t hit his own weight. We’ve heard for years that Blake Swihart can hit but we’ve only seen glimpses of it. Christian Vazquez is a good defensive catcher but not as good as Leon and his bat doesn’t have the ceiling of Swihart’s.
Realmuto is an upgrade over any of them. He’s arguably the best hitter in the majors at his position, batting .277/.340/.484 with 21 home runs this season. Instead of having a catcher creating a black hole near the bottom of the lineup, Realmuto would give the Red Sox a bat worthy of slotting near the middle of the order.
His defense and pitch framing skills lag behind the level the Red Sox receive from Leon or Vazquez but Realmuto is still solid behind the plate. He has a strong throwing arm that caught 38 percent of opposing base stealers this season.
The Marlins aren’t going anywhere anytime soon so it makes sense for them to continue last year’s fire sale by dealing Realmuto. The demand will be high considering the scarcity of available catching talent which means a team may need to overpay to pry him out of Miami.
Boston could offer Vazquez, who is locked up on a reasonable deal through 2022, or try to sell Miami on the upside of Swihart, plus add one of their top-five prospects in a package for the All-Star catcher. That still may not be enough if there is a bidding war on the trade market.
Craig Kimbrel could bolt in free agency, leaving the Red Sox looking for another closer. Rather than pay top dollar to retain a reliever who appears to be approaching the downslope of his career, why not trade for a cheaper, younger solution?
Iglesias is signed for a very reasonable $5.7 million in each of the next two seasons and remains under team control until 2022. The 28-year old converted 30 of 34 save opportunities while posting a 2.38 ERA and 10.0 K/9.
As with many hard-throwing relievers, walks can be an issue for Iglesias. However, his career 3.0 BB/9 is an improvement over Kimbrel, who posted an atrocious 4.5 BB/9 this season.
The Cinncinati Reds were rumored to be shopping bullpen pieces at the trade deadline but ended up keeping Iglesias. A team that isn’t anywhere near contending doesn’t need to hang on to an elite closer so we should expect they’ll listen to offers.
A package built around 2018 third-round pick Durbin Feltman should entice the Reds. He’s a hard-throwing right-hander who projects to be a high-ceiling closer but isn’t quite ready for the majors. He fits Cinncinatti’s timeline while the Red Sox need a pitcher of that caliber who can help now if Kimbrel leaves.
The first base platoon of Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce worked out just fine for the Red Sox but Goldschmidt is a six-time All-Star who represents arguably the best player in the majors at his position. Pearce could leave in free agency, in which case the Red Sox would need to pair Moreland with another bat who can handle lefties. Goldschmidt needs no such platoon, as he handles lefties and right-handed pitchers well.
Goldschmidt won his fourth career Silver Slugger this season for hitting .290/.389/.533 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI. The three-time Gold Glove winner is also a strong defensive player so Boston wouldn’t be losing anything on that end by replacing Moreland.
The 31-year old will be a relative bargain at $14.5 million in the last year of his deal but the Arizona Diamondbacks could consider trading him before he hits free agency. As difficult as it would be for them to trade the face of their franchise, it’s something they must consider if they don’t feel they can re-sign him.
Arizona made the playoffs in 2017 but that was with a magnificent second-half run by J.D. Martinez carrying them. They weren’t willing to pay to keep him, resulting in the Diamondbacks falling 8.5 games out of a Wild Card spot this year. It will be hard to justify giving Goldy a long-term deal when he’s 32 years old if they aren’t contenders.
Boston is more likely to pay him the contract he deserves, although his age may make them hesitant. There’s also the risk that other team could outbid them, potentially making Goldschmidt a one-year rental. Can a Red Sox team with an already weak farm system stomach dealing a top prospect like Michael Chavis or Triston Casas for one year of Goldschmidt? That would probably be a starting point for any offer Arizona would listen to.
Sending Moreland to Arizona as a temporary stopgap to replace Goldy at first base while adding a few mid-tier prospects like Bobby Dalbec or Josh Ockimey should be where Boston starts the conversation. It’s a similar scenario to when the Los Angeles Dodgers dealt five prospects, none of whom appear to be a future star, for Manny Machado. It’s the classic quantity over quality in an era when most teams aren’t willing to give up a blue-chip prospect for a rental.
The struggling New York Mets have been rumored to be putting one of their elite starters on the trading block for the better part of two years but haven’t pulled the trigger on a deal yet. It would take a king’s ransom to pry Jacob deGrom away after his Cy Young-caliber season but Syndergaard could be more attainable.
The right-hander has missed time with injuries in each of the last two years but when healthy he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. Syndergaard went 13-4 with a 3.03 ERA and 9.0 K/9 in what was considered a down season by his standards.
David Price is sticking around for the remainder of his contract but Chris Sale and Rick Porcello could both hit free agency after next season. Boston may be enticed with the idea of defending their title with a loaded rotation while protecting themselves long-term in the event they lose either or both of their impending free agent starters next year. Syndergaard is entering his first year of arbitration eligibility and remains under team control until 2022.
The price would be steep but Thor is the type of talent worth giving up a blue-chip prospect or two for considering his production and years of control. Pairing a young rotation replacement such as Eduardo Rodriguez with one of their top hitting prospects would be a fair starting point.
The Chicago Cubs are open for business, with ESPN’s Buster Olney reporting that Bryant is on the block. While it’s surprising that the 2016 World Series champions would be looking to sell, Theo Epstein apparently doesn’t consider anyone untouchable.
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Bryant is coming off a down season derailed by shoulder issues that resulted in multiple trips to the disabled list. He set career-lows with a .272 average, .834 OPS, 13 home runs and 52 RBI in 102 games this season.
Dealing for a player coming off a bad season is risky but Bryant is only 26 years old and two years removed from being the NL MVP. He’s entering his second year of arbitration after setting a record salary for first-year arbitration-eligible players this season and remains under team control until 2022.
The Red Sox remain high on the upside of Rafael Devers at the hot corner but he declined at the plate in his sophomore year and remains a defensive liability. If a healthy Bryant returns to pre-2018 form, he’s the player the Red Sox hope Devers will one day become. A package built around Devers could be what the Cubs are looking for in any potential Bryant deal.
If the Cubs are willing to deal Bryant, we have to assume Rizzo is available too. Boston doesn’t have the assets to acquire both corner infielders but Rizzo is a viable alternative if the cost for Bryant proves to be too much.
The former Red Sox prospect is one we wish never got away yet this could be the chance to rectify that mistake. Rizzo had a solid season, hitting .283/.376/.470 with 25 home runs and 101 RBI. The home run total and OPS were his lowest since 2013 but he comes with a strong track record of four consecutive seasons with 30+ homers prior to that. He’s a durable player, having appeared in 150+ games in five of the last six seasons. Rizzo also earned his second career Gold Glove award this year.
Rizzo is signed for just north of $12 million next season plus two option years for $16.5 million. Trading for him provides an All-Star caliber first baseman for up to three years at a reasonable price. His left-handed bat and solid defense make Moreland expendable. He could be sent back to Chicago in a deal supplemented by prospects or shipped elsewhere to free up a roster spot and shed some salary.
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Are any of these trades likely to happen? Probably not. The reigning champs don’t need to make a blockbuster deal to remain in the mix of contenders in 2019. Running back essentially the same roster would make them the favorites entering the season. That also sets up for a fairly boring offseason. What fun is that? These trade targets may be long shots but this time of year is when we can dare to dream.