Dodgers Close To Trading For Reported Red Sox Target, Deplete Shortstop Market

Boston will have one less target on the Marlins roster

Scott Neville | Jan 11, 2023

Dodgers Close To Trading For Reported Red Sox Target, Deplete Shortstop Market /

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The Boston Red Sox have been linked to the Miami Marlins all offseason as potential trade partners.

One of the players often discussed in these hypothetical deals will be heading to the west coast.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are close to trading for Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

Rojas is as good as it gets defensively -- ranking in the 98th percentile in Outs Above Average last season -- but his bat leaves a lot to be desired.

The 33-year-old hit .236 with 27 extra-base hits including six home runs, 36 RBIs and a .605 OPS in 140 games last season.

Rojas' underlying offensive metrics inspire little hope for an offensive breakout, but he does rank in the 95th percentile for strikeout rate and in the 92nd percentile for chase rate.

The veteran defensive stalwart had been previously linked to the Red Sox, as have most players on the Marlins at this point.

At this point, the Red Sox could still seek a trade with the Marlins for a plethora of players, including but not limited to right-handed starters Edward Cabrera and Pablo López, left-handed starter Trevor Rodgers and utility man Joey Wendle.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom alluded to having his focus placed on improving their middle infield depth after the Trevor Story surgery, but mentioned looking for "impact guys" in the starting pitching market during his press conference Tuesday.

It sounds like Rojas can be taken off of the board, but a trade with the Miami Marlins remains in play.

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Published Jan 11, 2023

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