{"id":126832,"date":"2026-07-25T14:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T18:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=126832"},"modified":"2026-07-25T14:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T18:35:18","slug":"red-sox-trade-deadline-preview-possible-hitters-to-acquire-before-august-3rd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/07\/25\/red-sox-trade-deadline-preview-possible-hitters-to-acquire-before-august-3rd\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Sox Trade Deadline Preview: Possible Hitters To Acquire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Red Sox have magically turned their season around. Coming up on late June, the assumption was that everyone, except guys like Ceddanne Rafaela, Ranger Suarez, and Garrett Crochet, could be<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> linked to a trade to prepare for next season and so on. Recently, however, they\u2019ve gone 20-2 since June 25th, not only erasing an 11-game under .500 record, but in the process, fighting their way back into the playoffs. They are almost certainly bound to be buyers at the deadline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Red Sox Trade Deadline Preview: Possible Hitters to Acquire<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.mlbstatic.com\/mlb-images\/image\/upload\/ar_16:9,g_auto,q_auto:good,w_1536,c_fill,f_jpg\/mlb\/u4hwuyfc31encmqhnfmf\" alt=\"Hunter Goodman Hits Home Run and Drives In 3 Runs for Colorado Rockies ...\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>Areas Of Need<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent report from MLB\u2019s Marc Feinsand has reported the Red Sox have several needs to approach at this year\u2019s Trade Deadline. These are the following needs from a hitting perspective:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right-handed bat (main priority), which can be:\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catcher\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Middle Infielder<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designated Hitter<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the most part, it seems like a noteworthy list of needs, certainly some they could\u2019ve addressed during the offseason. But here they are, looking to add pieces to make that extra push. So here are some ideas of who to acquire:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How the <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MLB<\/a> division races will affect contenders&#8217; Deadline plans <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2PI63HkzUi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/2PI63HkzUi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Feinsand\/status\/2080284627592216741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Catcher<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/langesh01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shea Langeliers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Athletics\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/goodmhu01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hunter Goodman<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Colorado Rockies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jeffery01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryan Jeffers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Minnesota Twins<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The catching position has been a noteworthy topic for the Red Sox organization this year. To start,<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/narvaca01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Carlos Narvaez <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wongco01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connor Wong<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were splitting time. Then <\/span><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;\"> was called up and started taking Narvaez\u2019s playing time, which was discussed<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/11\/breaking-down-the-red-soxs-catcher-situation-who-should-start\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0publicly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Regardless, a good-hitting catcher, power or otherwise, would be good to have. After all, the last time a Red Sox catcher had 20+ homers was <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vazquch01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christian Vazquez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2018, and the last to have multiple seasons of that was <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/varitja01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jason Varitek<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other issue has been defensive. Narvaez had originally broken out on the scene defensively, throwing out a league-high 32 runners. But this year, he\u2019s only thrown out seven, which puts his caught-stealing percentage at 18.9%, notably below the league average of 22.8%. Throw in the four errors, four passed balls, and 10 wild pitches, and he\u2019s taken a massive step back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So naturally, one of them might be moved for an upgrade this August. And while Jeffers has a good batting average at .283 (as of July 25th), and the best in some defensive stats (one passed ball compared to Goodman\u2019s four and Langeliers\u2019s seven), he doesn\u2019t quite have the pop that the other two possess.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goodman has more homers (31) and generally seems like the better hitter overall, as well as one of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/07\/23\/hunter-goodman-trade-2\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">biggest trade pieces available<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But with 23 homers and his <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/baseballsavant.mlb.com\/savant-player\/shea-langeliers-669127?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">type of spray chart this season<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Langeliers seems like the type of guy that\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">built<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for hitting bombs to left at Fenway Park. Also, it helps that he\u2019s pretty solid defensively (.996 fielding percentage compared to .992 league average for a catcher, as well as four DRS).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Verdict: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lean Langeliers, but would be okay with Goodman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Middle Infielder\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><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;\">, SS, Los Angeles Angels\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/arraelu01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luis Arraez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2B, San Francisco Giants<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/abramcj01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CJ Abrams<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, SS, Washington Nationals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Red Sox have a complicated middle infield situation right now. Last year, they thought they had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/19\/red-sox-big-three-prospects-overhyped-or-too-soon-to-judge\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">found the future<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of that area with <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/campbkr01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kristian Campbell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at second base and <\/span><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;\"> at shortstop. Fast forward to July of 2026, Campbell is back in Triple-A Worcester and Mayer, while injured right now, has been struggling this season at the plate. Throw in <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/storytr01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trevor Story<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s injury and the team\u2019s left with a rotation of <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/seiglan01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthony Seigler<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/monasan01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andruw Monasterio<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chengts01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tsung Che Cheng<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (with an occasional <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gonzaro01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Romy Gonzalez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> second base outing).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neto has been a name tossed around, mainly because the Angels are on the outer edge of any playoff chances. With an aging <\/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;\"> (who the Red Sox have <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/red-sox\/onsi\/red-sox-pushed-for-mike-trout-blockbuster-in-past-trade-talks-report-par3\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">checked in on before<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), it might be time just to hit the reset button. But like Goodman, Neto is a guy with 30+ home run potential that Los Angeles may be reluctant to give up. As of July 25th, he has 19 homers with two full months left to go. The Red Sox may have to give up top prospects, but a guy like Neto that would solve the infield problems could be worth it. And their system\u2019s deep enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Should Boston take a big swing at another position, Arraez could be a serviceable option. He doesn\u2019t quite have the pop in his bat (four homers), but he does get on base with a .324 average, and he rarely strikes out (4.2%, in the 10th percentile in the entire league). There\u2019s also Abrams, who may not be on the market unless a \u201cgodfather-like\u201d option comes in, but the Red Sox have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/03\/a-possible-trade-piece-could-fix-bostons-second-base-issue\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">been in rumors for him before<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Verdict: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neto, but if acquiring Shea\/Goodman, Arraez<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Designated Hitter<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garcilu04.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luis Garcia Jr.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Nationals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><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;\">, Angels<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wardta01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taylor Ward<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Baltimore Orioles\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designated hitter has been handled unconventionally by Boston this season. With 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;\"> that they\u2019ve had thus far, the odd one out (whether <\/span><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><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><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;\">) has taken up the DH spot for the most part this season, and it\u2019s had weird results. While Duran has 13 homers, his average is concerning. And while Yoshida\u2019s average is good and he gets on base, he doesn\u2019t quite possess the consistent power traits that are seen in a DH.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introducing Garcia Jr., who seems like the perfect candidate for the role. The Nationals first baseman is hitting .277 with 21 homers and 70 RBIs this season. He could be one of the right bats needed to push Boston into the contenders category. It might take some prospects and an infielder, especially if the Nationals deal off Abrams somewhere as well, but a bat like Garcia is worth it. The one downside is that he\u2019s a left-hander, but with multiple additions being possible, and his ability to <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/baseballsavant.mlb.com\/savant-player\/luis-garcia-jr-671277?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hit all over the field<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it shouldn\u2019t be too bad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If not him, Soler is the veteran with championship experience that could help the Red Sox. He may not have the power he used to possess over his 13-year career, but he still crushes them to left field. Ward is another name to throw in there. Despite having a typical down year, he does have 25-30+ home run power. The one issue with these two would be that they\u2019re two-month rentals, but they\u2019re reliable options to get Boston to the playoffs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Verdict: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Garcia Jr.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any of these batters could make an impact for the Red Sox, especially at home, which is needed for them, as evidenced by their home record, which is still below .500. An ideal deadline (hitting-wise) would be getting two of these players, but honestly, even getting one would be an achievement for this team. They should be doing anything they can to improve this lineup. And these guys could certainly give them a boost in the areas they need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credits: <span>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Red Sox have magically turned their season around. Coming up on late June, the assumption was that everyone, except guys like Ceddanne Rafaela, Ranger Suarez, and Garrett Crochet, could be linked to a trade to prepare for next season and so on. Recently, however, they\u2019ve gone 20-2 since June 25th, not only erasing an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5767,"featured_media":126840,"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":[28463,29670,2671,1854,29339,5014,3384,4265,2681,5906],"class_list":["post-126832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-redsox","category-mlb","tag-carlos-narvaez","tag-ceddane-rafaela","tag-cj-abrams","tag-connor-wong","tag-garret-crochet","tag-hunter-goodman","tag-luis-arraez","tag-ryan-jeffers","tag-shea-langaliers","tag-zach-neto"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126832","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=126832"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126841,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126832\/revisions\/126841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}