Red Sox Urged To Make Surprise Splash For Slugger Despite Dire Need For Pitching Help

Boston could use a right-handed bat

Scott Neville | Jul 24, 2024

The bat shatters as Cincinnati Reds second base Jonathan India (6) flies out in the in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The Reds led 1-0 after two innings. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

In this story:

Could the Boston Red Sox swing a deal for a recent National League Rookie of the Year to bolster the middle infield with less than a week until the July 30 trade deadline?

The Red Sox might be more desperate than ever to bolster the roster after limping to a 1-4 start to the unofficial second half of the season. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has his sights set on upgrading the pitching staff in the coming days, though he reportedly has interest in acquiring a right-handed bat as well.

Many expect Breslow's biggest move to aid the rotation. Could the general consensus be wrong?

"I'd expect the Red Sox to add pitching — both their rotation and bullpen have been depleted this month — but they've needed reinforcements up the middle all year, particularly a right-handed hitter who can lengthen the lineup," FOX Sports' Rowan Kavner wrote Wednesday. "There are plenty of helpful candidates who should be available for the right price at second base, where the Red Sox rank last in the majors in wRC+."

Kavner listed Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India as the possible target to fill their middle infield need.

India is hitting .275 with 30 extra-base hits including eight home runs, 40 RBIs and a .796 OPS (122 OPS+) in 93 games this season.

The 27-year-old can flat-out hit but he's far from the ideal Red Sox target in my mind. India would undoubtedly bolster a lineup that has lacked right-handed offense all season long.

However, with two more years of team control after 2024, the rising star does not fit into the Red Sox's timeline. Boston will regain shortstop Trevor Story by spring training at the latest -- if not at the very end of this season -- and second baseman Vaughn Grissom already is appearing in rehab games.

Then you have star prospect Marcelo Mayer tearing through the minors and Nick Yorke finally showing why he was selected in the first round amid his breakout performance with Triple-A Worcester.

As for India, his offensive production has been nearly canceled out by his defensive woes throughout his young career. The second baseman has accrued -22 outs above average throughout his four big-league seasons, making him a defensive liability for much of his Reds tenure. To be fair, he has improved mightily in 2024 -- he has one OAA compared to minus-six a season ago.

I'd like to see a little more defensively before adding another controllable middle infielder to the already boisterous cluster the organization currently holds.

The focus should be to add as much pitching help as possible while seeking a rental right-handed bat to aid Masataka Yoshida as a platoon designated hitter or possibly another right-handed outfielder that would allow Ceddanne Rafaela to stay at shortstop indefinitely.

More MLB: Red Sox Slugger Takes Hard Stance On Whether He Wants To Be Traded At Deadline

Published Jul 24, 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