RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesRed Sox 'would love' to trade for Astros or Angels star shortstop after Curtis Mead deal originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The Boston Red Sox pulled off a bit of a surprising trade late Saturday night, as they linked up with the Washington Nationals on a deal for infielder Curtis Mead.
He's a right-handed hitting infielder who will likely play third or second base, with Caleb Durbin taking over at the other spot. They spent Connelly Early to land Mead, proving this team is willing to buy at the trade deadline.
After making that trade, USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Red Sox "would love" to acquire a star right-handed hitting shortstop in either Los Angeles Angels ' Zach Neto or Houston Astros ' Jeremy Pena at the deadline.
Red Sox 'would love' to trade for Zach Neto or Jeremy Pena
"The Boston Red Sox are in dire need of a right-handed bat, and would love to acquire shortstop Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros or Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels," Nightengale writes.
Despite adding Mead to the offense, improving the offense from the right side of the plate, Boston is still seeking out more infield upgrades this summer.
Pena or Neto would be a huge addition to the lineup, and could slide right into the shortstop spot, completing a very strong infield of Pena/Neto at shortstop, Mead and Durbin at second base and third base, and Willson Contreras at first base.
However, adding one of those infielders won't be easy. Both are under club control for a while, with Pena through 2027 and Neto through 2029, and both are on clubs that might not sell their controllable players.
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Pena, 28, has a .315 batting average this season with 2.5 bWAR and nine home runs across just 58 games. He would have been an All-Star this year if he were healthy. Pena is one of the best possible trade targets this summer, and would be very expensive.
Neto, 25, has a .236 batting average with 2.8 bWAR in 102 games. While he might not be as valuable, he is a bit younger and under club control for a few more seasons. Neto still would be an upgrade with his .771 OPS and decent defense.
The Red Sox reportedly "would love" to trade for one of those star shortstops, and while a deal won't come cheap, and might be very hard to pull off, Craig Breslow and company, after acquiring Mead and their 15-game win streak, have momentum on their side.
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