Red Sox Reportedly Showed Interest In All-Star Infielder Before Vaughn Grissom Trade

Boston could have gone a different route up the middle

Scott Neville | Feb 16, 2024

Red Sox Reportedly Showed Interest In All-Star Infielder Before Vaughn Grissom Trade /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason with a few clear needs, one of which included stability at second base.

After mulling over a myriad of options, they finally landed on acquiring infielder Vaughn Grissom in a trade that sent southpaw Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves.

Before the trade for the 23-year-old budding star, however, the Red Sox reportedly tried to get a deal done involving a more veteran presence with an All-Star Game under his belt.

"According to a major league source, the Red Sox expressed some interest in acquiring infielder Jorge Polanco at the start of the offseason," MassLive's Sean McAdam revealed Friday. "The Red Sox, who were in search of someone to play second base, checked in with the Minnesota Twins to signal their interest, but talks never got beyond that introductory stage."

Polanco hit .255 with 32 extra-base hits including 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .789 OPS (115 OPS+) in 80 games last year, which was hampered by a nagging left hamstring strain. He produced similarly in 2022 but was bothered by left knee inflammation and lower back tightness, cutting his season to 104 games.

The switch-hitting middle infielder's last healthy season came in 2021 and was one to remember. The now-30-year-old hit .269 with 70 extra-base hits including 33 home runs, 98 RBIs and a .826 OPS (125 OPS+) in 152 games.

It would have been interesting to see how Polanco fared at Fenway Park but the prospect haul the Twins were eventually able to get in a later trade with the Seattle Mariners showed why the Red Sox backed out months ago.

Grissom has a higher ceiling and much more team control at a more affordable cost. He's done less to cement himself in the big leagues but appears to be the better choice for Boston.

More MLB: Red Sox 'Discussed Trading' All-Star Hurler To NL Foe Last Trade Deadline

Published Feb 16, 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