The Boston Red Sox need to find their second baseman for 2026. With just a few weeks until the start of spring training, there is still a major hole in the infield. Plenty of names have been thrown out as options. Some have been free agents, others have been via trade. While none are perfect fits, one stands out above the crowd.
Technically, the Red Sox have some flexibility. Marcelo Mayer can play either second or third base, but recent reports have said the team wants Mayer at the hot corner to keep him on the same side of the infield as his eventual home at short.
That means the Sox need to turn their sights to second, and the name they should be targeting is Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.
3 reasons Nico Hoerner should be the Red Sox's top infield trade target
Elite second base defense
The Red Sox had the worst defense in terms of team errors last season and have been in the top three for three straight years. Hoerner has logged a career +49 outs above average at second, and is coming off a +15 year.
The Sox have four pitchers who were in the 65th percentile or higher in ground ball percentage last season: Garret Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, and Ranger Suárez. If they want to ensure they all have successful seasons, Hoerner is the guy to put behind them.
Right handed bat
Balancing out the lineup with another righty seems to be the direction the team wants to go. While they helped address that with the addition of Willson Contreras, they also lost Alex Bregman.
While Hoerner may not provide the pop that some of the other options can provide, he will be a steady bottom half of the lineup bat who won’t strike out. The righty’s 7.6 K% and 11.2 Whiff% were both 99th percentile last year. While he doesn’t hit the ball hard, he pulls the ball 37% of the time, so he will be able to utilize the Green Monster to create a barrage of doubles.
One year of control
This may seem counterintuitive, but it makes sense. The Red Sox currently have Trevor Story under contract at least through 2027 (with a club option for 2028). He already struggled at short for parts of last season, so moving him to second base seems to be the next step.
Story definitely can’t play third. If the Sox bring in a second baseman with multiple years of control, that may leave Story stuck at shortstop. With Hoerner, it would mean just one season until they could move Story off short and slide Mayer over to his natural position. Also, if Story does need to be moved to second this year, Hoerner has played an above-average shortstop in the past.