You've heard some of the names: Isaac Paredes, Zach Neto, Nolan Arenado, Matt Chapman. The Boston Red Sox need offensive help, the trade deadline is coming, and with the Sox unsure if they're buyers or selllers, the conversation has gravitated toward names with value contracts.
This past week, Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston added a fresh name to the mix — Miami Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards. If you've been watching his 2026 season, you already know why.
Edwards didn't come out of nowhere. In 2024, he slashed .328/.397/.423 with 31 stolen bases over 303 plate appearances — a performance that announced him as one of the more intriguing table-setters in the National League. He backed it up in 2025 with a full season: .283/.343/.353 in 139 games, 27 stolen bases, a plus-12 DRS and plus-9 OAA at second base, and a 2.5 fWAR that ranked second on the entire Marlins roster. For a player who doesn't hit the ball particularly hard, he hits it where it needs to go constantly, efficiently, and with elite contact quality that the traditional stat line undersells.
This year, the power has arrived. Edwards is slashing .312 with a .877 OPS, six home runs, and 19 RBI — numbers that represent a genuine offensive evolution for a player whose calling card has always been average and speed. His Statcast profile backs it up: a .378 wOBA, a launch angle that has increased four degrees, and a hard-hit rate that has climbed to 33.5%. He's not a masher, and he was never going to be — but the added pop makes him a legitimately dangerous offensive player rather than a one-tool speed option, and that changes his value at the deadline considerably.
Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards could be an excellent trade fit for Red Sox's sluggish offense
Through 55 games, the Red Sox offense has posted a .221 average, .311 OBP, .372 slugging, and a .683 OPS, 69 strikeouts against only 27 walks, with just 26 runs scored. The lineup has lacked the contact-first, on-base presence that gives the middle of the order something to work with, and that is precisely the void Edwards fills.
A switch-hitter who walks, makes elite contact, runs the bases at an elite level, and plays plus defense at second base — that profile addresses Boston's most pressing offensive need while fitting the lineup's identity. And then there's Fenway: a 310-foot left field wall rewards hitters who pull the ball in the air, turning warning-track contact into doubles and doubles into home runs. For a player already showing more loft and more hard contact than at any point in his career, with the speed to turn every extra base into a scoring threat, Fenway could be the environment where this new version of Edwards does the most damage.
Edwards is controllable (three years left on his contract) and NBC's Leger is sharp having this name in the conversation. There's a version of this deal that gets Boston fans very excited come July. The real question is: will Miami even consider moving him, and who would the Sox have to give up in the deal?
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