Red Sox Pursuing Trade For Angels Switch-Hitter But Gap Remains With Deadline Looming

Boston could use the impact bat

Scott Neville | Jul 30, 2024

Jul 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Luis Rengifo (2) waits for a pitch during an at-bat against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been quite active during his first trade deadline as leader of baseball operations and he might not be done yet.

The Red Sox have addressed two of their three main needs: starting pitching and relief pitching -- but have yet to swing a deal for an impact right-handed bat -- catcher Danny Jansen does not count.

Breslow reportedly has his sights set on an intriguing target but has not been able to steer negotiations to the finish line.

"Red Sox are among teams interested in Luis Rengifo but there’s a gap in talks with them," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Tuesday just hours before the 6 p.m. ET deadline.

Rengifo is hitting .300 with 20 extra-base hits including six home runs, 30 RBIs and a .769 OPS (114 OPS+) in 75 games for the Angels this season.

The 27-year-old is a switch-hitter who excels against left-handed pitching -- exactly what Breslow is seeking. Rengifo is a career .278 hitter with a .775 OPS against southpaws and is hitting .373 with a .948 OPS against them this season in albeit 55 plate appearences.

Rengifo is under team control through next season, which could be driving up his price tag and delaying talks. Given the absurd prospect capital being tossed around at the moment, Breslow would be wise to wait until the buzzer and low-ball Los Angeles.

The infielder -- who typically resides at second or third base -- has -8 outs above average and poor underlying offensive numbers. Breslow should not sell the farm for him.

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Published Jul 30, 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