As spring training looms closer and closer as the Boston Red Sox continue their search for an infielder, it seems more likely that they'll enter camp with a roster very similar to last season's.
Ketel Marte is off the trade market, a deal for Isaac Paredes doesn't seem like it's getting any closer and the prices for Matt Shaw or (preferably) Nico Hoerner are probably astronomical — Boston could be too late to make an impact trade that would save it some embarrassment for whiffing on one of its early offseason promises again.
Even before the last available top free agent, Eugenio Suárez, signed with the Cincinnati Reds on February 1, insiders began speculating that the Red Sox will move Marcelo Mayer to third base and platoon Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton at second base (subscription required). Such an outcome would be close to the worst-case scenario for Boston, and it would be if it hadn't already traded for Willson Contreras to take over at first base.
The Red Sox have made nearly a dozen trades this offseason, including moving Vaughn Grissom to the Los Angeles Angels to free up space in their Triple-A infield. But with their big league infield still uncertain with days to go before spring training, that move looks shortsighted.
Red Sox may have made the Vaughn Grissom trade too soon now that they may need an internal option at second base in 2026
Boston landed Grissom from the Atlanta Braves in the December 2023 Chris Sale trade. He wasn't able to stick in the big leagues in his first season with the Red Sox, as he grappled with multiple long-term injuries and then a rough stint at the plate. But without the big infield bat they hoped for, Grissom could've been their best internal candidate for the second base vacancy.
The trade was rough from the beginning, since Sale won the National League pitching Triple Crown and his first Cy Young award with the Braves while Grissom hung out on the injured list or rode the bench. Over a year later, it appears Boston traded Grissom before his path to the roster there became the clearest it's been.
The Sox didn't give Grissom a chance in the big leagues last season, despite him deserving it. Mayer fell injured with a season-ending wrist sprain on July 25 and Boston opted to call the recently DFA'd Hamilton (.198/.257/.333 slash line in 91 big league games) back up instead of Grissom, who batted .270/.342/.441 with Worcester last season.
While Grissom logged just a .465 OPS over 31 games in the big leagues in 2024, the Red Sox should've given him another chance to prove himself. His defense, while stiff, was better than Kristian Campbell and Hamilton's and he has higher offensive potential than the latter. Grissom and Gonzalez would be a much better last-resort platoon option than Hamilton and Gonzalez, but the Sox are now limited to the second option.