The Boston Red Sox's search for an infielder has drawn out so long that they're pivoting to outfielders to bolster their lineup.
According to Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic, Boston has considered some free agent, right-handed outfielders instead of infielders to complete its roster (subscription required). Starling Marte, Randall Grichuk and Tommy Pham — who played for the Red Sox in the second half of the 2022 season — are among the players they've allegedly checked in on.
Adding an infielder remains a priority for Boston, per Woo and Sammon's report, but there has seemingly been little momentum toward a deal with anyone. Pivoting to signing an outfielder is a last resort, as it should be, given the Red Sox's needs and existing roster construction.
The Red Sox entered this offseason with a logjam of outfielders and only partially fixed it. Boston let Rob Refsnyder walk to sign with the Seattle Mariners and traded top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Johan Oviedo. It still has Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida and Kristian Campbell on its outfield depth chart.
Adding another outfielder to the mix only makes sense if someone is traded or changes positions. Trade rumors around Duran and Abreu ave been frequent with Duran demanding the most attention by far, but the Red Sox clearly aren't keen on moving him.
Red Sox could sign an outfielder to finish their roster, which makes little sense given the existing outfield logjam
They are all too keen, however, to make their young players switch positions to make up for their free agent failures. Rafaela or Campbell are the most obvious two players who could be pushed back to the infield.
Rafaela came up through the minor leagues as an outfielder and shortstop, for which his otherworldly defensive skillset absolutely allows. But now that he's reached the big leagues, he's established himself as one of the best, if not the best defensive center fielder in the majors
Rafaela is already streaky at the plate, but his offense worsens when he needs to think about playing the infield as opposed to his natural outfield spot. He slashed .132/.165/.145 over 23 games as a second baseman in 2025 and .268/.315/.457 in 135 games when he suited up in center field. There's a stark difference in sample size between the two positions, but the Red Sox finally came to their senses and pulled him out of the infield.
Campbell rose through the minor leagues as an infielder and outfielder, and after his disastrous MLB debut at second base, Craig Breslow said he envisioned him more as an outfielder. That could be subject to change if the Red Sox sign an outfielder to balance their offense — although Campbell playing second isn't preferable, anything is better than moving Rafaela, a Gold Glove winner in center field.
Boston's offseason never should've come to this. It never should've let Alex Bregman walk after trading Rafael Devers to accommodate him. Adding an outfielder may be the Red Sox's only realistic path to upgrading the offense at this point, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. Moving Rafaela should be utterly out of the question, and Campbell needs to have improved enough to make moving him worth the risk.