RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Boston Red Sox are looking to fix their infield woes prior to the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline on Aug. 3.
Curtis Mead was supposed to help, though he only lasted two plate appearances after being acquired from the Washington Nationals before suffering a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch on Monday. Anthony Seigler and Andruw Monasterio will be the double play combination for the time being, having been tasked with replacing the injured Mead, Trevor Story, and Marcelo Mayer -- though no one is stopping them from adding reinforcements.
"The Boston Red Sox are searching for a shortstop, and one name that has come up in conversations is the Miami Marlins ' Otto Lopez, who was part of the National League All-Star team earlier this month. "He'd be a great player for them," said one rival executive with knowledge of Boston's interest. Lopez is a contact hitter, which would make him a fit for the sort of player Craig Breslow has targeted in the past. The 27-year-old leads the majors with a .331 batting average, has 22 steals and is regarded as a positive personality," ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Wednesday.
It's going to be a relatively pricey , though...
"Lopez and (Xavier) Edwards would require a significant return, league sources said. Some teams already have expressed interest in (Liam) Hicks, especially given the lack of viable catcher options available in the trade market. And with teams struggling to find right-handed hitting outfielders, (Heriberto) Hernández is drawing interest as well," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon, and Katie Woo reported.
Lopez being the top target makes sense, as he would immediately step in and become the club's best hitter in terms of batting average (.328), doubles (27), triples (7), and stolen bases (22) -- all of which would go a long way in helping an offense that ranks 25th in runs scored (445), 25th in total bases (1,381), and 21st in OPS (.707).
Franklin Arias, Anthony Eyanson, and Kyson Witherspoon are the club's top three prospects, according to SoxProspects.
Would Boston be willing to give up a combination of that trio? Is there any way it could talk down the price? Would Miami be interested in someone like Mayer?
It'll be interesting to see if recent bad luck with injuries is something that will push the Red Sox to be more aggressive ahead of the deadline on Monday. If they intend on riding their recent wave of momentum into a fruitful postseason run, they'll need to do something.
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