The Boston Red Sox might be ready to find a new everyday starting shortstop.
Trevor Story’s injury history and lack of production at the plate left them scrambling this past season, using five other players at the middle infield spot.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa was one of those players, but he’s now an unrestricted free agent. The shortstop market, headlined by Mauricio Dubon and J.P. Crawford, is rather weak.
Could the Red Sox target the trade market to find a significant upgrade? Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer wrote that Boston’s front office has shown previous interest in Bobby Witt Jr.
“According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Bobby Witt Jr.’s name came up while the Red Sox were weighing trades for various stars before the trade deadline. It’s unclear if they actually spoke to the Kansas City Royals about their three-time All-Star shortstop, but either way, the idea to trade for him was there in some form,” Rymer wrote.
Witt is one of the top players in the Majors, posting 6.7 bWAR or higher in each of the past three seasons. He’s the perfect blend of power and speed and is an elite defender at shortstop.
Would the Royals ever consider trading Witt? Rymer says they should.
“He signed an 11-year contract in 2024, but opt-outs starting after 2030 could effectively make it a seven-year deal,” he wrote. “He’s now three years into it, and the Royals are looking ahead at what could be the last four from the wreckage of a 93-loss season. Their contention model needs a course correction, badly.”
In Rymer’s trade idea, the Red Sox would send the following players to the Royals for Witt: LHP Payton Tolle, RF Wilyer Abreu, SS Franklin Arias, OF Justin Gonzales.
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Parting with Tolle might be something the Red Sox are highly against, considering he’s got ace potential and has quickly turned into a fan favorite. Losing Arias, the No. 2 prospect in baseball, wouldn’t be ideal either.
“It’s a haul, alright, but it would return nothing less than the best shortstop in baseball. And arguably, the best player at any position that the sport has to offer,” Rymer concluded.
This is the kind of trade that would shock just about everyone and would be debated who the winner and loser was for years to come.
