The Boston Red Sox's seemingly ever-growing list of offseason infield targets has expanded yet again. Boston has been linked to nearly every top free agent and trade infielder on the market this winter, and it should be to improve upon its league-worst defense and streaky offense from last year.
Tim Healey and Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported on December 9 that the Red Sox have had trade discussions about Ketel Marte, Corey Seager, Isaac Paredes and Brendan Donovan with their respective teams (subscription required). There have been rumblings that Boston was "in" on a few of these players before, but the Globe's report is the first local confirmation that the Sox have checked in with all of them.
Boston's latest trade candidates join Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso (who has been signed by the Baltimore Orioles), Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suárez among its infield interests. Every Sox fan has a different set of players they'd prefer the team to land — Marte rumors gave gained serious momentum since the Winter Meetings began — but one stands out as the most accomplished among them.
Many teams across MLB would go to unbelievable lengths to bring Seager in via trade. The 11-year MLB veteran and five-time All-Star has been a Texas Ranger since the 2022 season, and his club may be looking to shed some payroll before the 2026 slate begins.
Red Sox have discussed trades for four infield stars, but Corey Seager is the best of them
Seager is a shortstop and has little experience at any other position in the major leagues. The Red Sox have already committed to using Trevor Story at shortstop in the coming season, but acquiring Seager should change that plan. Story's defensive range decreased severely last season and he may be better suited for second base at this point in his career, while Seager remains a top-tier defender with four outs above average and 85th-percentile range.
Seager is also an excellent hitter who would bring consistency to the Red Sox's streaky offense. He batted .271/.373/.487 with an .860 OPS, 19 doubles, 21 homers, 50 RBI, 87 strikeouts and 58 walks over 102 games. Had Seager played a full season last year, he may have earned some All-Star recognition, as he accumulated 6.2 bWAR in just over 100 games.
In that vein, Seager has a long history of injuries in his career. He hasn't posted more than 123 games in a season since 2022, and he's only played more than 150 twice in 11 years. The Red Sox have their own injury concerns with Story and Marcelo Mayer in the mix at shortstop, but Seager is so talented that a trade could be justified.
The 31-year-old has years of postseason experience from the first seven seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and his World Series run with the Rangers in 2023. Seager netted a World Series MVP award both times. He could be just the personality the Red Sox need to guide them back to the postseason.
The Rangers don't seem inclined to move Seager at the moment, but the fact that conversations occurred at all is encouraging. Seager has six years remaining on his contract and he would cost quite a lot to trade for and eventually add to the payroll, but it could be worth it for his all-around dominance.