There are just three months until the MLB trade deadline, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that some trade talks are already picking up. That is because of one big factor, according to the insider.
“Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, said that with so many teams with big payrolls struggling this year, trade talks have already picked up,” wrote Nightengale last weekend.
He went on to say that Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara and Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran were going to be the ” hottest commodity.’
When it comes to the Red Sox, things haven’t gone as planned. They fired manager Alex Cora in April, and despite two wins over the Detroit Tigers this week, they are still stuck in the basement of the American League East. There is still time to turn things around.
However, the roster right now isn’t great. Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow will likely be wheeling and dealing at some point. One player he’s predicted to trade would be ending a tenure that was odd to begin with.
Boston Red Sox Predicted To Trade Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa
When it was announced that Boston signed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, it was surprising. The Red Sox already had a handful of infielders who could play different positions. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Caleb Durbin in a trade to Boston. Marcelo Mayer has been knocking on the door of being a full-time player. Boston also has Kristian Campbell in Triple-A.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed one player each team is likely to trade. For Boston, Kiner-Falefa was listed as most likely to be traded.
“As seemed to already be the case when this signing was announced, Boston hasn’t had a whole lot of use for this light-hitting utilityman. If and when they call Kristian Campbell back up at some point, the Red Sox would have even less use for IKF. They presumably won’t be able to get much for him other than a bit of salary relief, but that’s not nothing,” Miller wrote.
In April of 2025, Campbell signed a long-term contract with Boston. Since then, he hasn’t come close to living up to that deal. It feels like this was an overreaction by Breslow. Even without Alex Bregman, Campbell is finding it difficult to get to the majors.
Boston Red Sox Will Have Multiple Trade Options
There is no doubt that the Red Sox haven’t needed Kiner-Falefa much. He has just 39 at-bats and is slashing .205/.244/.205 with four runs driven in. He has eight hits, all singles. As Miller mentioned, salary relief of $6 million is most likely what Breslow gets out of the deal.
As for other trade candidates, Boston has plenty of outfielders to move. Duran would be the most likely candidate, but an injury to Roman Anthony might alter plans, for now. He is also getting hot at the plate, some might even say raising his trade value?
Closer Aroldis Chapman is another potential trade option if the Red Sox don’t turn things around. Regardless, Kiner-Falefa is someone that teams might covet as a pinch-runner or late defensive replacement. It seems like Breslow’s roster is full of those.
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