Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox could still be on the prowl for rumored trade targets like CJ Abrams or Zach Neto.
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox may not be done after a busy weekend on the trade front. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe
July 27, 2026 | 6:54 PM
2 minutes to read
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox already added a potential impact bat to their lineup after swapping Connelly Early for Curtis Mead in a deal with the Nationals on Saturday.
But, Boston may not be ready to close up shop with MLB’s trade deadline set for next Monday, Aug. 3.
On Monday, ESPN MLB writer Buster Olney noted on X that the Red Sox are still “searching for a shortstop, in a market notably thin in shortstops.”
The Red Sox have been searching for a shortstop, in a market notably thin in shortstops.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 27, 2026
It seems logical for the Red Sox to try to find an upgrade at shortstop — especially with that critical part of the infield largely standing as a revolving door this season due to both injuries and underperformance.
Boston’s starting shortstop to open the 2026 campaign, Trevor Story, remains sidelined after undergoing sports hernia surgery in May, with the veteran not exactly inspiring much confidence even when he was in the lineup (.206 batting average, .244 on-base percentage).
The Red Sox’ contingency plans at the position — Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Marcelo Mayer — have also been unavailable due to injury, with Mayer’s durability and offensive ceiling standing as concerning question marks regarding the prospect’s overall big-league profile.
Boston has already been linked to several intriguing trade targets at shortstop, including CJ Abrams of the Nationals and Zach Neto of the Angels.
Last week, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said that the Red Sox “have their eyes on” Abrams, although the case can be made that Boston should have tried to orchestrate a larger deal involving both Mead and Abrams together if they were smitten with both sluggers.
Nightengale added that the Red Sox were also intrigued by Neto, who is on pace for his third-straight 20-homer season with the Angels.
But, acquiring a player with years of team control still in place with Neto would cost a pretty penny for Boston, as Alex Speier of The Boston Globe noted on Monday.
The Sox were willing to discuss [top prospect Franklin] Arias last year in deals for Twins hurler Joe Ryan or Diamondbacks slugger Ketel Marte,” Speier wrote. “Arias’s value has gone up since those conversations, but if the Sox want one of the potential jewels of the trade market such as Angels shortstop Zach Neto, Arias would be a necessary price.”
On Sunday, Breslow was asked if the Red Sox plan to remain aggressive with the trade deadline getting closer and closer.
“I think the players deserve it, I think the fans deserve it,” Breslow said. “It has been a turbulent path to get here, but you know, as we sit here today, a week out from the deadline, the resilience and kind of toughness of this team has become very apparent, and the opportunity to upgrade is something that we’re looking for and fortunate to be able to do it at this point.”
“I think it’ll sound vague or basic if I were to say we’re going to continue to look at opportunities to upgrade the team, but I think that’s kind of where we are, and there are a few different paths to do that,” he added. “But it’s not quite clear how the market is going to materialize.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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