Things have changed fast for the Boston Red Sox, who have gone from languishing at the bottom of the league in late June to the hottest team in the league in the weeks since, with a 31-8 run pulling them back into contention for a playoff spot and perhaps even the American East crown.
Boston will have a chance to put an exclamation point on its recent run of success at Monday’s MLB trade deadline, when the Red Sox are expected to seek a splashy addition of a big-hitting righty who be a power threat in the middle of the lineup. It remains to be seen how much the Red Sox are willing to give up to acquire that caliber of player, but multiple reports indicate they’re being very aggressive in finding the right deal.
But who? Well, ESPN insider Jeff Passan has thoughts on that.
Red Sox ‘Don’t Need to’ Make a MLB Trade Deadline Move
Speaking on “SportsCenter” on Monday morning, Passan named the Top 3 targets for the Red Sox at the deadline, with a top-of-the-wish-list option at No. 1.
Said Passan: “Do the Red Sox need to do anything at this point? They don’t need to. I think they want to, though. I think Boston wants to capitalize on this run that they’re on right now, reward the players for all that they’ve done for getting out of the depth of the American League East and into a playoff position.
“The top targets they could have—CJ Abrams is clearly the best hitter on the market right now. I don’t think he is particularly likely to move. But the Miami Marlins have been very busy, talking about buying a little, talking about selling, and Otto Lopez as well as Liam Hicks are guys who would fit very well for the Red Sox.”
CJ Abrams an Ideal Red Sox Fit
Abrams would be a big get for Boston because not only is he hitting .287 with 28 homers and a league-high 85 RBIs, but he is only 25 years old and still has two years of arbitration ahead of him. The cost would be high and, as Passan noted, the Nationals are not especially motivated to move him.
Still, the Red Sox’s top prospect is 20-year-old shortstop Franklin Arias, who has zipped up from Double A to Triple A this season, batting .310 with 19 homers and a .976 OPS. Arias would be a good chip, bolstered by other prospects to send to Washington, which badly needs pitching. It’s a longshot, but there is a reason that Abrams and the Red Sox are frequently connected.
Otto Lopez, Liam Hicks Also on MLB Trade Deadline
For the Red Sox, MLB trade deadline moves for Lopez and Hicks would obviously be upgrades over what the team has now, but neither would be the high-impact home run threat the team is after.
Hicks is hitting .282 with 14 homers and a .795 OPS, and that would be an upgrade over the struggling Carlos Narvaez (.187). He’s not exactly a cleanup hitter–he had 13 home runs total in four minor-league seasons–but perhaps a move to Fenway would unlock more power numbers.
Lopez leads MLB in hits (140) and doubles (28) but is not much of a power bat, with nine home runs.
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