Red Sox Reportedly Plan On Trading For Specific Skillset To Upgrade At Second Base
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been largely inactive since taking over baseball operations -- mostly due to a market stalled by a pair of Japanese superstars.
Breslow has made moves in one area this offseason, the trade market. Boston already has made three trades, including one that sent outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees.
It appears that Breslow is not done working in that field, as he noted that he is more likely to find a second base upgrade via trade than in free agency. The latter options are quite weak. Whit Merrifield is largely deemed the only moderately impactful free-agent second baseman, and even his abilities can be put into question.
Within the trade market, Breslow is eyeing a "strong defensive second baseman" according to The Athletic's Chad Jennings and Jen McCaffrey.
So who could the Red Sox target?
Yankees' Gleyber Torres, Cincinnati Reds' Jonathan India, Minnesota Twins' Jorge Polanco, Los Angeles Angels' Brandon Drury and Milwaukee Brewers' Willy Adames all have been deemed available by various reports.
Right off the bat, we can eliminate India, Torres and Polanco. India is a glorified designated hitter, Torres and Polanco are below-league-average fielders.
Adames would be a fantastic addition to the Red Sox. The 28-year-old is a Gold Glove-caliber middle infielder who had a down year by his own standards offensively last year but still slugged 55 extra-base hits including 24 home runs and recorded 80 RBIs -- a far higher level of production than Boston has been accustomed to seeing at second base.
Adames would be the perfect right-handed bat to add to a lineup that desperately needs balance. With that said, Adames is a big-ticket item and Breslow's comments about a defensive-minded second baseman would indicate that he's looking for a serviceable everyday player, not someone to build a core around.
A much more likely scenario would be to pursue another middle infielder with one year left on his contract, Drury.
The 31-year-old fits Breslow's description, ranking in the 82nd percentile for Fielding Run Value by Baseball Savant -- a statistic attempting to culminate a player's total defensive impact.
Drury also hit .262 with 59 extra-base hits including 26 home runs, 83 RBIs and a .803 OPS (114 OPS+) in 125 games last season.
The Angels owe him $8.5 million next season and after the departure of Shohei Ohtani, have no serious plans for contention.
The Red Sox should be fully invested in Drury, a perfect solution to the second base void that has been lacking since Manny Machado ended Dustin Pedroia's career.
More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Leading Candidate For All-Star Outfielder Post-Alex Verdugo Trade
