Angels Reportedly Could Shop Middle Infielder, Could Red Sox Be Perfect Match?

Boston has had a carousel up the middle

Scott Neville | May 3, 2024

Apr 27, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Luis Rengifo (2) reaches / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have surpassed expectations through one full month of the season despite sustaining 16 injury list stints through 32 games.

The pitching staff, led by pitching coach Andrew Bailey, has been remarkable and the bats have been up and down -- which was the best-case scenario given the time missed by star players. One area that has been a sore spot offensively and defensively has been the middle infield -- which seems to by occupied by a new pairing every few games.

If the Red Sox can stay in the race, the middle infield will be on the short list of areas to enhance. Could a trade with the Los Angeles Angels aid their pursuit of infield stability?

"Among the Angels players who drew trade interest this winter include infielder Luis Rengifo, outfielders Taylor Ward and Mickey Moniak, as well as reliever Jose Suarez and catcher Matt Thaiss," FanSided's Robert Murray reported Thursday. "Relievers Matt Moore, Luis Garcia and Adam Cimber, all signed to one-year contracts this offseason, figure to emerge as potential trade candidates as well."

Rengifo has 321 career games at second base, 96 at shortstop, 82 at third base and 42 in the outfield across six big-league seasons with the Angels. The 27-year-old switch hitter is hitting .326 with eight extra-base hits including two home runs, 11 RBIs and a .841 OPS (139 OPS+) in 27 games to kick-off the season.

The primary infielder will be a free agent after the 2025 season, which would fit well into the Red Sox's long-term plans of eventually handing the infield over to Marcelo Mayer and a wave of young talent.

So would Rengifo make sense as a trade target for the Red Sox?
I'd vote no. Rengifo is off to a strong start offensively but his underlying metrics are poor outside of his impressive chase and whiff rates. Most importantly, defensive versatility becomes less intriguing when you are equally poor at each position. The veteran already has negative-4 defensive runs saved and has been a terrible fielder his entire career.

The Red Sox have proven time and time again how badly poor defense can break a team. It's also worth noting that the middle infield could be improved internally. Vaughn Grissom was finally activated off the injured list and will make his team debut against the Minnesota Twins this weekend.

Ceddanne Rafaela is far from an All-Star but appears to be stabilzing the shortstop position defensively.

If the Red Sox stay in the hunt, they will need to add depth but that acquisition should be lightwaves ahead of Rengifo with a glove in his hand.

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Published May 3, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu