Inside The Red Sox

Rays Surprise Trade Would Send All-Star Slugger To Red Sox In Rare Intra-Division Deal

Boston could use some right-handed pop

Scott Neville

Jul 14, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third base Isaac Paredes (17), shortstop Taylor Walls (6), pitcher Ryan Pepiot (44), outfielder Amed Rosario (10) and first base Yandy Diaz (2) stand with kids during the national anthem against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 14, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third base Isaac Paredes (17), shortstop Taylor Walls (6), pitcher Ryan Pepiot (44), outfielder Amed Rosario (10) and first base Yandy Diaz (2) stand with kids during the national anthem against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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Could the Boston Red Sox pull off a notable trade with an intra-division rival in order to further bolster an already potent offense?

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reportedly will target starting pitching and a right-handed bat at the July 30 trade deadline -- which have been the same needs since the beginning of last offseason.

While starting pitching remains priority No. 1, it's also worth noting that the left-handed heavy lineup has struggled against left-handed pitching and will become even more unbalanced upon Triston Casas' return in the second half.

The addition of a middle-of-the-order right-handed bat would do wonders and the Tampa Bay Rays reportedly are shopping a trio of them.

"Tampa Bay will listen on (Randy) Arozarena, (Yandy) Díaz, or (Isaac) Paredes in the right deal," MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Thursday.

Díaz appears to be a solid fit for Boston and could take manager Alex Cora's lineup to a new tier. The 32-year-old is hitting .273 with 30 extra-base hits including eight home runs, 46 RBIs and a .726 OPS (109 OPS+) in 94 games this season.

With the hulking corner infielder in the fold, Cora could deploy a group that includes Díaz, Tyler O'Neill, Rob Refsynder, Connor Wong and Ceddane Rafaela from the right side and then continue to use Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Dom Smith, David Hamilton, Reese McGuire and eventually Casas from the left side.

That would allow the coaching staff to create mismatches all game long, something Cora has proven to do time and time again.

Díaz would be a perfect first baseman/designated hitter for the time being with Yoshida platooning in the latter scenario. He's owed $10 million in 2025 with a $12 million club option in 2026. That contract is quite reasonable for the 2023 All-Star who came in sixth place in American League MVP voting while hitting a league-leading .330 with 22 home runs.

The slugger would help the lineup immediately and be incredibly easy to trade if top prospects eventually crowd the infield and force some transactions in the future.

Díaz would cost the Red Sox a decent haul of prospects but nothing substantial. The big three prospects would remain on the no-trade list in this scenario.

It's clear that Boston will need to add an impact right-handed bat and Díaz fits the description.

More MLB: Red Sox Should Pursue Athletic's Former All-Star Who Is Likely To Be Traded

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Scott Neville
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

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