Red Sox-Mariners Blockbuster Trade Idea Lands $845K Lefty For David Hamilton Package

Is Hamilton expendable?

Apr 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) slides into second base against Boston Red Sox second baseman David Hamilton (17) during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

At some point this season, the Boston Red Sox will have to make trades to alleviate their position player logjam.

There are already more talented players on the major league roster than there are at-bats to go around. Once superstar prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer join the fold, some of the talented utility players on the Red Sox will be out of a job.

The questions that follow are twofold: who should be traded, and what sort of return should the Red Sox be targeting to further their goal of making it back to October?

A player who could truly struggle to crack the lineup is 27-year-old infielder David Hamilton, who already gets two or fewer starts per week. The speedster showed promise with the bat last season, but won't be much more than a pinch-runner for this squad if he sticks for the full year.

On Sunday, Athlon's Sam Bernardi proposed a hypothetical trade that would ship Hamilton, along with Triple-A reliever Luis Guerrero, to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for lefty reliever Gabe Speier, who is off to a perfect start to the season through 5 2/3 innings.

"For Boston, Hamilton is a sunk cost, and Guerrero is an intriguing prospect in Triple-A, but it's worth the sacrifice for Speier, who would instantly upgrade a bullpen in need of southpaws," wrote.

"Seattle would have a tough time giving up Speier, who has a phenomenal four-seam, sinker, slider combination and has not allowed a run through five and 2/3 innings this season. However, even though Hamilton is not the most coveted name, he would be an upgrade over current second baseman Ryan Bliss."

Speier, 30, owns just a 3.99 career ERA, but he has struck out 12.8 batters per nine innings since the start of last season and allows a career average of 7.8 hits per nine innings. He is under team control through 2028 and is making only $845,000 this season.

The Red Sox still have high hopes for Guerrero, and Hamilton could lead the league in stolen bases in any given season. They may not feel such an urgent need to go after a reliever to make a trade like this, but it would be understandable if they pulled the trigger.

More MLB: Red Sox 27-Year-Old Deemed 'Likeliest' To Be Marcelo Mayer Roster Casualty