Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings Cubs $85 Million Impact Slugger To Boston

A new right-handed bat for the Sox?

May 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs batting helmets inside the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Have the Boston Red Sox only just begun to make trades?

Last week, the Red Sox delivered a breath of fresh air to the fan base by bringing in Garrett Crochet to anchor the starting rotation. It proved that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow had the gumption to make an uncomfortable move--but more may be necessary in the short term.

With the departure of Tyler O'Neill to the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox have a gap in the middle of their order, and their biggest lineup issue looks even worse on paper. They're too heavily reliant on left-handed bats, and their best righty now plays for a division rival.

For the ideal solution, Boston might look to another team that's made a blockbuster trade already this winter: the Chicago Cubs.

Cody Williams of FanSided named Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki as the ideal trade target for the Red Sox this winter. Williams also claimed Suzuki would better fit Boston than free agent slugger Teoscar Hernández because of the latter's steep contract demands.

"The viability of the Red Sox pursuing a Suzuki trade, however, almost fully depends on what the Cubs would be willing to take from him. Boston, even after the Crochet deal, still has a Top 10 farm system in baseball," Williams said.

"Suzuki still has two years remaining on the five-year pact he signed with the Cubs in 2022 with an AAV of just $19 million. In theory, Boston could take all of that on to relieve Chicago and, thus, potentially lighten the return package they'd be sending to the Windy City."

Suzuki, 30, has steadily gotten better during his three years as a big-leaguer, and 2024 was easily his best overall campaign. He had a .233/.366/.482 slash line, good for a 138 OPS+, compiling 3.5 bWAR in 132 games.

The defense in right field has been slipshod at times, but Suzuki could easily adjust to playing in front of the Green Monster in left field at Fenway Park. He'd be a solid two-year solution to the O'Neill vacancy and if he really excelled, the Red Sox could always try to keep him longer.

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