Red Sox: Four AL East trade targets for Boston when the lockout ends

The Red Sox can strengthen their roster while working with rivals

Doing any sort of business with a rival tends to come with some unease but at the end of the day, everyone has the same goal, winning. We’ve seen in the past on plenty of occasions teams within the same division working out deals to better suit their needs for the future. The Red Sox were patient during the boom before the lockout and will likely depend heavily on trades when business re-opens.

If this were any other division in baseball I don’t think this idea would be met with any hesitance, but it’s the AL East, and it’s a damn warzone. Chaim Bloom will need to add more depth to his roster before Opening Day and some of his divisional contemporaries have some pretty shiny toys he could go after.

So, with all that being said, I combed through the 40-man rosters of each of our divisional foes and tried to pick out players that I believe could benefit the Red Sox while also being reasonable trade targets.

You won’t be seeing Aaron Judge or Wander Franco on this list, mainly because I’m not crazy, but you may be surprised with some of my choices. Also, I won’t be saying who we’d be giving up in return as I’m mainly focusing on who I want to bring in and why.

Now that the scene is set, let’s get to the trade shenanigans!

Baltimore Orioles SP: John Means

Starting in the basement of the AL East means we get to take a trip to Camden Yards to visit the Orioles. I went right for John Means and the reason is that the O’s have already opened the door for their star lefty.

Before the baseball world went to hell there was a rumor that Baltimore would be willing to listen to serious offers for the southpaw and I think Chaim should make that phone call.

Means had his best season in 2021 since his All-Star efforts back in 2019. He tallied a 3.62 ERA through 146.2 innings while being the workhorse of a team that didn’t have much to be excited for.

The Red Sox lost one of their strongest starters in Eduardo Rodriguez and plugging in Means would fill that massive void with another lefty. The left-hander also 1.030 WHIP in 2021, the best of his career beyond the COVID shortened 2020 campaign.

More importantly, I’m a big fan of his K/BB ratio as he ended the season with an 8.2/1.6 split which breaks down to a 5.15 SO/W. That’s a guy I’d sure love to have to start for my team every fifth day.

If the O’s hadn’t already lit the flame a bit on this one I may have gone another direction but we know that they love to get rid of star players before they are about to get rich.

The Kansas native is in his first year of arb eligibility and won’t be a free agent until 2025, seems like a perfect situation to me!

Toronto Blue Jays OF: Randal Grichuk

This is the one target that will stray from a theme you’re soon to see as you progress through this, but I love me some Randal Grichuk. It feels like whenever the Red Sox plays the Blue Jays he’s one of the guys that does the most damage to us. He also fills one of the wild card spots in the roster for Boston and can be a strong addition to the lineup.

I wasn’t kidding when I said Grichuk loves to play against the Red Sox. In 2021, he tallied a .309/.324/.500 slash against Boston with four doubles, three homers, and 12 RBI. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have him in our dugout than the one across the way. So why would I want Bloom and the gang to go for an outfielder? Well, it’s simple, we need one.

We have no idea what the future holds with Kyle Schwarber, Hunter Renfroe is hanging with Christian Yelich and the Brew Crew, and the rotating cast of Alex Verdugo, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Kiké Hernández leaves something to be desired.

Grichuk splits his time between right field and center which are the areas Boston needs the most help in. He has two years left on his current deal in Toronto with an AAV of $10.3M, beyond reasonable for the Red Sox.

He’ll turn 31-years-old as the second half of the season gets underway which gives Bloom plenty of prime left to fill his roster while his prospects develop.

Tampa Bay Rays RP: Ryan Thompson

The Red Sox are always in the need of more support for their bullpen. Too many times in recent history has our relief group gone from unhittable to unwatchable, and adding an arm like Ryan Thompson to the group will only make them better.

It’s impossible to predict at this moment just who will be in what role for the team when 2022 rolls around but I sure would love another reliever I don’t need blood pressure medication for when they enter the game. Thompson completed his sophomore season in 2021 and was absolute nails for the Rays en route to their second straight AL East crown.

I think this one is the juiciest of the group as it involves Bloom’s old team and a guy he knows very well thanks to his time in the developmental system. Another thing that should make Chaim’s mouth water is the fact that Thompson is under team control through the 2025 season and won’t be entering arbitration until next winter.

The righty did spend 96 days on the IL in 2021 due to a shoulder injury but even with the time missed he has great potential. He’s the definition of a low-risk/high-reward player and does Chaim love anything in this world more than that?

Thompson finished the year with a 2.38 ERA, 3.11 FIP, and a 1.029 WHIP. He also dominated the K/BB world with a 9.8/2.4 split for a 4.11 average. Sounds like a pretty damn good relief option to me!