Red Sox Surprisingly Predicted To Trade Promising Infielder For Pitching Help

Does a trade partner exist in this peculiar case study?

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Trades will be one of the main storylines of the Boston Red Sox's winter--whether they do or don't occur.

Though the Red Sox had some decent moments in their 81-81 season, they ultimately fell flat. Part of the issue was their roster construction--the starting pitching depth was never going to last throughout the season, and the lineup was far too dependent on left-handed hitters.

With a high volume of talented prospects on the way, most of whom also bat lefty, Boston is in a position to capitalize on their depth. They know they need pitching, and a trade seems like the most viable way to acquire it at a reasonable cost.

One left-handed hitter who looks to be on the outs is 25-year-old Enmanuel Valdez, the Opening Day second baseman this year who ended up shuffling between Triple-A and the big leagues all season long.

On Monday, Ryan Bunton of FanSided predicted that Valdez "won't be back" in 2025, calling him a "strong candidate" to be traded in return for some pitching help.

"The Red Sox acquired 23-year-old second baseman Vaughn Grissom in the Chris Sale deal last offseason, and prospect second baseman Kristian Campbell just won Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year," said. "There seems to be little room for Valdez to remain in the mix."

Valdez, who was the second player acquired alongside Wilyer Abreu in the 2022 trade with the Houston Astros for Christian Vázquez, has shown some promise at the plate. He has a .686 OPS at the MLB level between 2023 and 2024, but hit 11 home runs in 50 Triple-A games this year.

The bigger issue with Valdez is his defense. He's racked up -12 outs above average at the big-league level in just 125 games. His -8 this season put him in a tie for 16th-worst in all of baseball despite appearing in less than half of Boston's games.

Clearly, Valdez is expendable for the Red Sox, but what kind of pitching could they get for him at this point? He'd be a decent throw-in alongside real prospects in a trade for a starter, but if he's the headliner of a deal, Boston likely only would get a low-leverage reliever or minor-leaguer in return.

No one will be surprised if Valdez gets moved this winter. But it's up to Craig Breslow and the front office to make some sort of deal that maximizes the value of this volatile young hitter.

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