Alex Bregman didn't earn over $247 million in career contracts by accident. He earned it because of a specific, reproducible profile — a right-handed hitter who pulls the ball in the air with lift, plays elite defense, and delivers in October. He also happened to do it in two ballparks, Minute Maid Park and Fenway Park, that were built to reward exactly that skill set, and the market paid him accordingly.
But now, Bregman is in Chicago and former MLB GM and current insider Jim Bowden has laid out the Boston Red Sox problems plainly: the Sox are still waiting for Marcelo Mayer's breakout, Caleb Durbin might be better served as a super utility piece, and Bowden has noted real concerns with Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray in the rotation too, both of whom are now injured. But the infield gap is the structural issue.
Bowden named four potential trade candidates to help the Red Sox solve their infield problems (subscription required). Here, we'll rate how the candidates stack up, starting with why the underlying data may mean more than the names.
Rating Jim Bowden's four trade candidates to fix the Red Sox infield
1. Carlos Correa — Houston Astros
R/R 2026: $31.5M | 2027: $30.5M | 2028: $30M | FA: 2029
Start with the postseason résumé. Correa owns a .282 average, 18 home runs, and 63 RBIs in 85 career playoff games, including seven go-ahead postseason home runs, the most by any shortstop in MLB history. He's been in the fire and delivered every time. That's the Bregman quality Boston needs most.
Then look at Fenway. In 35 career games at Fenway Park, Correa is hitting .272 with 8 home runs, 18 RBIs, and 27 runs scored, prorating over 162 games to roughly 37 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 125 runs. His 2026 Statcast numbers confirm he's producing above expected output right now. He spent nine years at Minute Maid Park and built his career around it. The Fenway translation is real.
The cost will be steep. Franklin Arias, Payton Tolle, and potential major leaguers like Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, Tsung-Che Cheng, Triston Casas all enter the conversation in that type of deal. Boston's farm is deep enough to make it work without gutting itself.
Grade: A — Best fit, highest ceiling, most complete Bregman replacement.
2. Matt Chapman — San Francisco Giants
R/R $25M/year through 2030 | No-trade clause | FA: 2031
Four Gold Gloves. Two hundred career home runs. Elite bat speed that ranks near the top of Statcast leaderboards, and legitimate pull-side power that Fenway rewards. The defensive profile at third base is arguably the best of the four candidates.
The obstacle is structural. Chapman's contract contains a full no-trade clause. This deal doesn't happen unless he waives it. If he does, Boston commits to $25M annually through his age-37 season.
Grade: B+ — Elite fit on paper, real obstacles in reality.
3. Isaac Paredes — Houston Astros
R/R 2026: $9.35M | Team option 2027 | FA: 2028
Paredes may be the most underrated name on this list. FanGraphs and Baseball Savant research identifies him as one of baseball's premier right-handed lift-and-pull hitters. That is the core Bregman trait, and it maps directly to what Fenway rewards.
His 2025 numbers — .254 average, 20 home runs, .810 OPS in 102 games — came at Minute Maid Park, the only park where he would have had 20+ home runs before a hamstring ended his year. The Astros have a crowded infield and real motivation to deal him. At $9.35M with a team option, his contract is the most manageable on this list by a wide margin.
Grade: B+ — Underrated Fenway fit, smartest value play.
4. Royce Lewis — Minnesota Twins
R/R 2026: $2.85M | FA: 2029
The numbers when Lewis is healthy are jaw-dropping. Across his first 94 MLB games, he hit .303 with 27 home runs — a pace projecting to 46 home runs over 162 games. His 2026 Statcast profile is elite: 92.5 mph exit velocity, 52.4% hard-hit rate, .390 wOBA, 14.3% barrel rate. The ceiling is higher than any other name on this list.
But the injury history is the story. Two ACL tears. Consecutive spring hamstring strains. A quad strain on Opening Day 2024. He has already been on the injured list again in 2026 with a knee sprain and has only played 100 games in one season. A player who gives Boston 60-70 games doesn't solve the problem regardless of what he does in those games.
Grade: C+ — Tantalizing upside, injury history makes it a risk Boston can't afford.
The Bottom Line
Bowden is right that Boston needs to make a move. Correa is the clearest answer – a proven October performer who has hit in this park, carries the leadership Bregman brought, and fits the pull-ball profile Fenway demands. The others solve parts of the problem but the sleeper worth watching is Paredes, whose lift-and-pull profile mirrors Bregman's more than most and contract details give Boston flexibility.
Only time will tell.
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