The Boston Red Sox didn't sign a first baseman at the trade deadline despite Abraham Toro's prolonged slump. The infielder is slashing .173/.229/.265 in his last 30 games and has minimal prior first base experience.
The Red Sox added another first base option late on August 17. Boston is finalizing a deal with Nathaniel Lowe, whom the Washington Nationals designated for assignment three days earlier, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Red Sox's 40-man roster is full and they'll have to make a corresponding move to add Lowe to the roster. In the hours before the signing, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the Red Sox would be among the teams pushing to sign him, and they worked quickly.
Lowe, 30, hasn't had much more luck than Toro at the plate recently. He slashed .216/.292/.373 with 69 RBI through 119 games with the Nationals, but he's batting .155/.263/.272 in his last 30 games. The day before he was DFA'd, Lowe hit a grand slam to open Washington's scoring against the Royals, but it wasn't enough for the Nats to hang onto him.
Red Sox finalizing deal with Nathaniel Lowe, bringing playoff experience to first base
First baseman Nathaniel Lowe and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal, sources tell ESPN. Lowe was DFA’d by Washington earlier this week and will head to Boston and join one of the best lineups in the league.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 18, 2025
The grand slam is Lowe's 16th homer of the year, which would tie Alex Bregman for the third-most home runs by the Red Sox so far this season. Lowe bats lefty but he can hit to all fields, and Fenway Park's dimensions could be quite friendly to him.
Lowe has had a particularly rough season at the plate so far, and he's been more offensively reliable in his six prior seasons in the big leagues. He's slashed .272/.356/.433 with a .789 from 2019-24, the best of those seasons being 2022, when he recorded a .302/.358/.492 slash line and an .851 OPS.
Toro has been slumping for so long that it makes sense for the Red Sox to give Lowe a shot, despite his lackluster offensive numbers. The latter has postseason experience, having won the World Series with the Texas Rangers in 2023, and he could give Boston's lineup a nice jolt of power. The signing could also prevent Boston from using Kristian Campbell or top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia at first base in the major leagues during a playoff push.