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The Boston Red Sox are well aware of their need for another infielder…
“We tend to get caught up in the pitching portion of run prevention, but there are other key components as well — defense being the most obvious,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said on Wednesday. “It’s really important that we improve our defense, particularly our infield defense. I’d argue that we have the best defensive outfield in baseball, but we led the league in errors last year and our out conversion needs to be improved. We’ve done things internally to re-prioritize that, but any additions we may make will be mindful of the defensive skillset.”
It’s looking like that need is evident to others, as well.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the club was “talking trade” for an infielder in his article on Thursday, and tied them to three in particular: Nico Hoerner, Isaac Paredes and Brendan Donovan.
Hoerner, Paredes and Donovan have all been tied to the organization one way or the other, and could all conceivably fill the remaining hole at second/third base, taking one of them while the other is filled by Marcelo Mayer.
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How would each fit?
Hoerner, 28, might be the best defensive option among that trio, having earned two Gold Glove Awards (2023, 2025). The Cubs probably aren’t in a hurry to trade the utility man, but it will certainly be easier following the addition of third baseman Alex Bregman.
Paredes, 26, is the best bat in this trio, having carried a .245/.348/.420 slash line to back-to-back All-Star selections in 2024 and 2025. It’s hard to justify adding someone who averages negative-three defensive runs saved when you’re focusing on defense, though.
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Donovan, 29, is a super utility player who definitely has a defense-first profile (Gold Glove in 2022), but can get on base and might be the easiest to acquire given the recent relationship between Boston and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Breslow made it clear that trading for his surplus of starting pitchers and infielders is something he’ll consider, but will he actually pull the trigger?