{"id":122972,"date":"2026-05-28T13:44:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=122972"},"modified":"2026-05-28T13:44:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:44:48","slug":"four-outside-the-box-trade-candidates-to-turn-the-red-sox-offense-around","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/28\/four-outside-the-box-trade-candidates-to-turn-the-red-sox-offense-around\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Outside The Box Trade Candidates to Turn The Red Sox Offense Around"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has been rumored that the Red Sox, despite being eight games under .500 currently, are trying to make a big trade, specifically for a <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/redsox\/2026\/05\/red-sox-trade-rumors-boston-looking-to-bolster-offense.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">right-handed power bat<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The Red Sox offense, aside from the past couple of games against the Atlanta Braves, has had its fair share of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/18\/the-issues-with-this-red-sox-offense-as-the-team-continues-to-struggle\/\" target=\"_self\">offensive struggles<\/a> this season, so this makes sense. The Red Sox do have a lefty-heavy lineup, with a range of three to six left-handed hitters on any given day. This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranja01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jarren Duran<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/abreuwi02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wilyer Abreu\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mayerma01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marcelo Mayer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yoshima02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Masataka Yoshida<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (When in lineup)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gaspemi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mickey Gasper<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Switch Hitter)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sogarni01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nick Sogard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Switch Hitter)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Four Outside the Box Trade Candidates to Turn The Red Sox Offense Around<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2026\/05\/christian-walker-cubs.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=1200%2C675\" alt=\"Christian Walker\u2019s 3-run home run leads Astros to win over Cubs \u2013 NBC ...\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As seen, the lineup has a high likelihood of being a majority of lefties most days. Only <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rafaece01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ceddanne Rafaela<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/contrwi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Willson Contreras<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/contrwi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Carlos Narvaez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are consistent righties in the lineup (as well as <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/durbica01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caleb Durbin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, when he plays). This team\u2019s in desperate need of not only another right-handed power bat, but also one who hits decently with runners in scoring position, a statistic that the Red Sox have struggled with over the past year or so, especially this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, while it would be nice for the possibility of a<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/troutmi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mike Trout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trade or a <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/buxtoby01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Byron Buxton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> move to happen, it wouldn\u2019t be logical. For one, it would take a lot more than expected to get them. And secondly, there\u2019s been skepticism of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/24\/masataka-yoshida-red-sox-outfield-jam\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outfield logjam<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all year. When <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/anthoro01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roman Anthony<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> comes back, if a combo of Duran, Yoshida, or both gets sent out, they\u2019re back in the same spot as they were. That being said, some names could be considered outside the box. Here are some:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Christian Walker, First Base, Houston Astros<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, this may seem out there, given there are a lot of factors surrounding the Astros. So let\u2019s go over those first. First of all, the Astros should be good on paper and make the playoffs. Currently, however, they are 24-32 and in fourth place in the AL West. They are also three and a half games out of the third wild card spot (Red Sox are four out). If they turn it around, it\u2019s unlikely that the Astros are sellers at the deadline or before it. Should they continue at this pace, though, it may be something to consider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now with the Red Sox, they\u2019ve been connected to the Astros <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/07\/red-sox-back-in-rumors-for-isaac-paredes-the-case-for-and-against\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">since the offseason<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Whether it\u2019s rumors of slugger Yordan Alvarez, shortstop Jeremy Pena, or third baseman Isaac Paredes as trade candidates, Boston seems to be <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in talks. While Pena and Paredes are good, they don\u2019t exactly fit the \u201cpower\u201d aspect that Boston is looking for, plus adding a 28-year-old Pena to the middle infielder room with Mayer, Trevor Story,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and top prospect <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=arias-008fra\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Franklin Arias<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would make things more confusing. With Alvarez, it\u2019s not exactly likely he gets moved, and if he does, it\u2019ll probably be to a bigger market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now for <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walkech02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christian Walker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The 12-year MLB veteran is currently signed through 2027 and has 25 extra-base hits (15 homers) and 40 RBIs. While he is only batting .259 with runners in scoring position, 22 of his 40 RBIs come in those situations. That average bumps up to .348 when runners are in scoring position with two outs. The Red Sox seem to struggle with that, batting .236 with RISP and leaving 7.07 runners on base per game <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.teamrankings.com\/mlb\/stat\/team-left-on-base-per-game\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this season<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Having someone who hits well in those spots <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hits homers would be ideal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is talk of Contreras, too, and what happens. If the Red Sox sell, he\u2019s probably gone. If the Red Sox buy, there\u2019s a chance Duran could be out. This would move Anthony to left field, and Walker could be the DH. There are ways to fit both of them in the lineup should Contreras be on this roster past July.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Jo Adell\/Jorge Soler, Outfield\/DH, Los Angeles Angels<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/adelljo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jo Adell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/solerjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jorge Soler<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may be options for this squad, both for different contexts. Soler is the older, cheaper veteran who can still swing it. <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/baseballsavant.mlb.com\/savant-player\/jorge-soler-624585?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All nine of his homers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this season have been to left\/left center. However, he has a K% of 30.8%, which falls at the 9th percentile across all majors. In addition, he hits .185 with RISP. But the location of his homers would be welcomed with the Green Monster, surely turning into an extra base hit at the worst.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adell, on the other hand, seems more intriguing for this team. He is a right fielder, but for the sake of this, he would most likely be a designated hitter, especially with Abreu\u2019s Gold Glove defense in right field. Hitting-wise, he has eight homers (15 total XBH\u2019s). The outfielder had a breakout season for Los Angeles last year when he hit 37 homers and drove in 98 runs. While the batting average is low (.242 this season), he hits .353 with RISP. He\u2019s also in the <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/baseballsavant.mlb.com\/savant-player\/jo-adell-666176?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9<\/span><\/a>8th percentile<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when it comes to his bat speed, which factors into his 47.2% hard hit percentage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both of these Angels would be good if looking for a solid power hitter on a short deal that the front office can restructure into a new deal. Soler is a free agent following this season. At the same time, Adell is arbitration eligible next season, followed by free agency in \u201828.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Ildemaro Vargas, Infielder, Arizona Diamondbacks<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently tied for possession of the first Wild Card in the National League. However, there are two teams tied for the third spot, and four teams within two games of those teams. The point here is that the National League wild-card race is very tight, and anything can happen. Over the next couple of months, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vargail01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ildemaro Vargas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> could be a name to keep an eye on based on Arizona\u2019s playoff standing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Pena would add another name to the crowded infield, Vargas seems like too good a name to pass up this season. While not the biggest power guy (seven homers), he plays anywhere in the infield, he\u2019s got a batting average of .303 right now as well as an .814 OPS, and his contract\u2019s up at the end of the year. With this being his age-34 season, a half-season of production could be a good tell for the Red Sox on whether to re-sign. He also hits .321 with RISP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only issue with Vargas is that he\u2019s having a career year, which may mean that Arizona wants a little more for him than the Red Sox might want to give up. If they claim to be buyers, though, and they\u2019re serious about a playoff push, that is something they would have to consider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Red Sox say they\u2019re interested in a right-handed power bat. Whether they\u2019ll actually pull the trigger on a move or not will be something to see. Of these teams, the Angels are the most likely trade candidate. Even though they were <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/15\/mike-trout-red-sox-trade-pro-cons\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">loosely linked<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Trout, Soler, and\/or Adell wouldn\u2019t be bad choices either. <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/netoza01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zach Neto<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s name has also <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsboston.com\/mlb\/boston-red-sox\/zach-neto-mike-trout-trade-rumors-angels\/788061\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">been thrown in there<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but it\u2019s unlikely that it will happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ideal fit is somewhere in the infield; however, a power-hitting outfielder could slide into the DH role well. There\u2019s a whole two months till the trade deadline, so time will tell what Boston does. Maybe they swing for the fences and pull off a huge trade. Maybe they will surprise people with certain players like these. For now, let\u2019s wait and see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It has been rumored that the Red Sox, despite being eight games under .500 currently, are trying to make a big trade, specifically for a right-handed power bat. The Red Sox offense, aside from the past couple of games against the Atlanta Braves, has had its fair share of offensive struggles this season, so this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5767,"featured_media":122992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1071],"tags":[2517,2660,3029,3354,780,4897,28456],"class_list":["post-122972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-redsox","category-mlb","tag-christian-walker","tag-ildemaro-vargas","tag-jarren-duran","tag-jo-adell","tag-jorge-soler","tag-marcelo-mayer","tag-wilyer-abreu"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5767"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122972"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122993,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122972\/revisions\/122993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}