The Boston Red Sox have been an interesting team to watch over the past several weeks. After falling to 11 games under .500, their season looked to be all but finished, but they went on a 15-game winning streak and are now firmly in the third American League wild card spot.
Boston is now 52-49 and is an obvious candidate to buy at the trade deadline as opposed to sell. They are a little light on offense and could use some middle infield help.
That is where San Francisco Giants’ second baseman and four-time All-Star Luis Arraez could come in handy. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden listed him as a perfect trade fit for the Red Sox with less than two weeks before the deadline.
“The Red Sox could use another bat and Arraez would be a solid fit in their lineup and at second base,” Bowden wrote. “He has really improved his defense this year thanks to a lot of hard work with infield coach Ron Washington, who is one of the best in the game at teaching infield.
“Arraez consistently puts pressure on defenses with his contact ability, and he would be a big help to a Red Sox offense that ranks in the bottom third in the league in OBP. With his ability to go the other way, he could take huge advantage of the Green Monster and perhaps turn some of his singles into doubles. He doesn’t have speed or home run power, but he’s an elite hitter for average who is in the middle of one of his best seasons in the big leagues.”
Luis Arraez Named ‘Perfect’ Fit for Boston Red Sox
Arraez is a three-time batting champion and two-time Silver Slugger in addition to his four All-Star nods. He is hitting .320/.359/.446 with four home runs, 37 RBI, a 2.9 WAR, an .805 OPS and a 128 OPS+.
He is in the final year of his contract, and while he has expressed interest in remaining with the Giants beyond 2026, he does not have a no-trade clause preventing a trade away from San Francisco.
With the Giants out of contention, it makes sense that Buster Posey would want to trade players on expiring contracts, and the Giants have a lot of them.
The Red Sox also have a lot of pitching depth that they can trade from in order to make a deal happen. Arraez shouldn’t be overly expensive at the deadline, but the Red Sox have the pieces necessary to make a move and improve their offense for the stretch run.
Boston Red Sox Have Completely Turned Their Season Around
The Red Sox seemed like surefire sellers at the beginning of this month. But everything has changed since then. They now are in a playoff spot and could be a true threat to reach the World Series if they get into October.
This has been a tale of two seasons for Boston, but as long as they stay hot and add at the deadline, they could be a dangerous team in the postseason.
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