Red Sox: 3 potential trade targets who could fill leadoff spot

The Red Sox could use a trade to upgrade the top of their lineup

The Boston Red Sox have a powerful lineup but it will be difficult for this offense to maintain their place among the best if they continue to use their worst hitters at the top of the order.

Boston enters the day ranked second in the American League in runs scored but there is room for improvement at the top. Red Sox leadoff hitters are 26th in the majors with a .230 AVG and 29th with a .287 OBP. The top spot in the order has produced a .293 wOBA and 82 wRC+, both of which rank last in the majors.

Kike Hernandez has been the primarily culprit. He’s batting .224/.279/.371 in 205 at-bats, most of which have come as a leadoff hitter. Hernandez still provides value with the versatility to play center field and second base. While the results from this year’s small sample haven’t shown it, he’s historically been an asset against left-handed pitching. There’s a place for Hernandez on this team but there’s no reason why a player with his meager results at the plate should be in the leadoff role.

The MLB trade deadline is still about six weeks away but a Red Sox club caught in a tight division race can’t afford to wait that long to address a glaring need. They need to start evaluating the trade market for an upgrade in the leadoff spot.

Many of the game’s best leadoff hitters won’t be available in a trade. Either they play for another contender, the team isn’t inclined to sell a player with several years of control remaining or the price is too high for the Red Sox to consider.

Instead, we’ll focus on realistic targets who can upgrade the top of Boston’s batting order. Chaim Bloom isn’t fond of giving up assets for rentals so we would expect him to prioritize options the Red Sox can control beyond this year while staying within a reasonable budget.

Red Sox trade target – Adam Frazier

Adam Frazier is in the mix for a batting title during a breakout campaign, entering the day fourth in the National League with a .331 average. He leads the league with 85 hits and 23 doubles.

Frazier is tied for seventh in the majors with a .393 OBP. He doesn’t draw walks at a high rate with an 8.1 BB% that places him in the middle of the pack. His stellar on-base percentage is primarily the result of a batting average supported by an unsustainable .371 BABIP that’s nearly 60 points above his career level.

However, Frazier rarely strikes out, ranking second in the NL with an 11.2 K% this season. When you put the ball in play more often, it’s bound to lead to more hits falling in.

He’s not going to deliver much home run power, with only two so far this year and a career-high of 10, but he’s still racking up doubles and has also legged out three triples to produce a career-high .467 SLG and .860 OPS.

Frazier can provide above-average defense at second base and either corner outfield spot.

The Pirates are nowhere near contending and the 29-year-old Frazier will enter his final year of arbitration next year before he’s eligible for free agency after the 2022 season. He’s likely to be available on the trade market this winter but the Pirates should consider flipping him now while his value is at its peak.

Red Sox trade target – Trea Turner

This is the most ambitious target on the list but an option that would certainly be worth exploring. Trea Turner often gets lost in the shuffle when discussing the top options at a deep shortstop position but he puts up All-Star caliber numbers even if he hasn’t actually made the team yet in his career.

Turner is hitting .308 with 10 home runs, 11 doubles and an .825 OPS. His .352 OBP is almost identical to his career rate. While that’s not quite elite, it increases slightly to a .359 OBP in his 195 plate appearances batting at the top of the order, the 11th-highest among major league leadoff hitters (minimum 100 PA).

The Red Sox have a notable lack of speed on their roster that Turner would immediately upgrade with his league-leading 13 steals. Turner has always been among the best in that category, leading the league with 43 stolen bases in 2018 while swiping a career-high 46 the previous year. Boston hasn’t had a leadoff hitter with those wheels since Jacoby Ellsbury.

The obvious question when it comes to trading for Turner is where to put him on the field. Xander Bogaerts isn’t a great defensive shortstop but Boston won’t ask the face of their franchise to switch positions for Turner, who isn’t exactly Gold Glove material either. Turner played some second base and gained experience in center field early in his career. If he’s open to utilizing his versatility, the Red Sox can make it work.

The Washington Nationals are underachieving at 29-35 to fall 7.5 games out of a playoff spot. They probably need to sink even further before they consider themselves sellers at the deadline but it’s not an unfathomable outcome.

Turner is eligible for free agency after the 2022 season. Washington has talked about offering him an extension but the sides don’t appear close to a deal. The Nats want to make Turner and Juan Soto the building blocks of their organization but if they are further from contention than they thought, they might pivot toward prioritizing the latter while dealing the former while his value is high.

Turner is earning a modest $13 million this season, which makes him a bargain based on his production but almost certainly pushes the Red Sox into luxury tax territory. It’s worth the price if they feel Turner is the missing piece that can put them over the top but the Red Sox might want to hold off to see how other holes are addressed before they consider themselves in that category.