Boston Red Sox
Boston reportedly is interested in several names potentially available on the trading block.
The Red Sox reportedly tried to trade for shortstop Zach Neto over the winter. Olivia Vanni/Getty Images
July 24, 2026 | 6:28 PM
4 minutes to read
The Boston Red Sox’ improbable, thrilling win streak ended at 15 games on Wednesday night.
If the team continues to play even somewhat close to the level they did over that stretch through the rest of the regular season, a second-straight playoff appearance could follow suit.
On top of positioning themselves as sole possessors of the American League’s final wild card spot and resuscitating their season, the Red Sox gave chief baseball officer Craig Breslow a reason to do something meaningful by MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Breslow’s two prior trade deadlines since joining the organization were lackluster, to say the least. He acquired pitchers Luis Garcia, James Paxton, Quinn Priester, and Lucas Sims, plus catcher Danny Jansen in 2024. 2025 was even worse — Breslow largely stood pat, trading for just two arms in Steven Matz and Dustin May.
Red Sox fans, and surely players, have high hopes this year’s deadline will be much different in the wake of the win streak.
Rumors involving Boston are fairly scarce at this point — the same goes for the rest of the league. But a few names have been linked to the Red Sox with 10 days remaining until the deadline. Here they are:
CJ Abrams, SS
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was one name USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said the Red Sox “have their eyes on.”
Abrams, 25, is having a career year at the plate. He’s slashing .286/.315/.544 with a .903 OPS, 24 home runs, and 76 RBI across 99 games, all bests since debuting in 2022. He’s also stolen 16 bases; he swiped 31 bags in 2024 and 2025.
He’s a left-handed hitter who’s regularly batted fourth for the Nationals during his excellent year. If Boston is looking to find a replacement shortstop amid Marcelo Mayer’s forearm injury, Trevor Story’s sports hernia, and the merry-go-round of guys they’ve slotted into the position lately, Abrams seems like a natural fit offensively.
Abrams’s strikeout percentage is at an all-time high (21.5) as he’s having the best year of his career, but his walk rate is also the highest it’s ever been by several points (8.5). The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft is arbitration eligible for the next two years before he can become a free agent in 2029.
A two-time All-Star (2024, 2026), Abrams is having a less terrific season defensively. He leads the majors with 15 errors (.960 fielding percentage).
Shea Langeliers, C
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers also popped up in Nightengale’s article. He said the Red Sox “salivate over the idea of having him behind the plate.”
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand said Boston’s primary need at the deadline is a right-handed bat, “preferably at catcher, middle-infield spot or at designated hitter” in his assessment of each team’s plans. Langeliers would certainly fit that description.
Langeliers, 28, made his first All-Star Game this year, but 2026 isn’t his first successful season. The right-handed hitter has hit at least 22 home runs in each full season he’s played (since 2023); he’s already notched 23 this year.
His 2025 offensive stats are generally a bit better than his two-thirds of the way through 2026. Last year, Langeliers slashed .277/.325/.536 with an .861 OPS; he’s currently slashing .263/.333/.497 with an .830 OPS. He’s also striking out more (19.7 percent in 2025, 23.1 percent in 2026), but he’s walking more (6.9 percent last year, 8.3 percent this year).
It’s hard to envision Langeliers’s righty bat not being a wonderful match at Fenway Park, and a major improvement over Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong’s.
Defensively, Langeliers is a reliable receiver. He’s committed just three errors through 625 innings of work (.996 fielding percentage). He committed eight in 2025, five in 2024, and a career-high 10 in his first full season in 2023.
Langeliers also has DH experience. He’s batted the position 21 times for the Athletics this year, the most since his rookie campaign in 2022 (24 games).
Contractually, he remains arbitration eligible through 2028 and is slated to become a free agent in 2029.
Zach Neto, SS
Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto was another player Nightengale said the Red Sox “have their eyes on” alongside Abrams.
Neto, 25, bats right-handed, but isn’t having the best season at the plate with the AL-worst Angels (41-62). He’s slashing .238/.326/.446 with a .771 OPS, 19 home runs, and 46 RBI. He leads the AL in runs (69), however, and has logged 94 total hits (21 doubles, two triples). He has also stolen 13 bases.
Neto finished 2025 slashing .257/.319/.474 with a .793 OPS, 26 homers, and 62 RBI, for reference.
This year’s trade deadline isn’t the first time Boston has been linked to Neto. In fact, the front office reportedly made several attempts at dealing for him this past winter, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam in February.
Since last season, the season in which the Red Sox were impressed, Neto has regressed both offensively and defensively. His strikeout percentage is up a concerning amount (26.9 in 2025, 31.5 in 2026). He leads the AL in strikeouts through his 100 games played (141).
Neto has been bad at shortstop, too. He leads the AL with 14 errors (.962 fielding percentage) in 866 innings.
Nevertheless, it appears Boston is still interested in acquiring Neto. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported the club “views him as a strong fit” despite his down season.
Neto is arbitration eligible through 2029 before becoming a free agent in 2030.
According to a report from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Los Angeles’ front office was recently mandated by ownership to trade Neto. So, if the Red Sox still want Neto, he would come at a price, but he is on the table.
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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