Marcelo Mayer might be a key to the Boston Red Sox's success, not just this season, but also for the next half-decade. Drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the shortstop was immediately tabbed as a future cornerstone of the Red Sox.
Now, five seasons later, the six-foot-three, 23-year-old got his cup of coffee in the show and is being thrown into the deep end. Mayer is set to make the Opening Day roster. With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, reports are surfacing about where the team expects him to play.
Last season, Mayer was called up to be the replacement for Alex Bregman at third base while he healed a quad strain. Mayer ended up logging almost 250 innings there. Once Bregman returned from injury, Mayer slid over to second base and played over 50 innings there. He flashed elite defense at both positions, two outs above average at third and one at second, meaning the Sox had options on where to play him in 2026.
With the Sox still trying to finish their infield, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic has reported that Boston prefers Mayer at third base to start the season (subscription required). That does give Craig Breslow some direction for the rest of the offseason — they will need to find a second baseman.
If the Red Sox intend to play Marcelo Mayer at third base, they'll pivot to second basemen to fill infield vacancy
Reporters on both the Red Sox beat and the national beat have noted that the Red Sox are working the trade market one last time to find their final infielder. MassLive's Chris Cotillo wrote on X that the Sox are "involved in serious trade talks all over the place," and that "they have a lot of irons in the fire."
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Red Sox have been among many teams checking in with the Cubs on the availability of second baseman Nico Hoerner (subscription required). The two-time Gold Glove winner seems to be the standout second baseman available on the trade market, though the Red Sox have been linked to others.
Heyman also noted Cardinals' All-Star Brendan Donovan and Astros' All-Star Isaac Paredes as two other players the Sox are interested in. While Donovan had been more of a utility player in the past, he played 80% of his innings at second base last year. The one issue with Donovan is that he is a lefty, and the Sox are looking for a right-handed bat.
Some fans may have expected interest in Paredes to dwindle because he is a primary third baseman - however, he has also played second in the past. About 10% of his career innings in the field have come at second base, though none since 2023. Despite the limited innings, he's posted three Outs Above Average at second for his career.
With the Red Sox likely committing themselves to Mayer at third base, it narrows the list of potential targets. The ones available still have an All-Star pedigree, which just means they are going to cost more. At least one thing should be true — the Red Sox will have better infield defense in 2026.