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The Boston Red Sox<\/a> have addressed much of their offseason shopping list, but as spring training approaches, one unresolved issue continues to hover over roster construction: the infield.<\/p>\n Boston made significant investments in pitching, adding Sonny Gray<\/a>, Ranger Su\u00e1rez<\/a>, Johan Oviedo<\/a>, and Willson Contreras, yet the position-player side remains unsettled. Trevor Story is locked in at shortstop<\/a>, and Contreras figures to handle first base<\/a>, but the remaining infield spots lack clarity. Trade conversations have been active for weeks without producing a deal, and time is becoming a factor with pitchers and catchers set to report soon.<\/p>\n That backdrop prompted MassLive\u2019s Chris Cotillo<\/a> to take an early stab at Boston\u2019s Opening Day roster\u2014and his projection pointed toward a notable shift in approach. Rather than forcing a trade in an inflated market, Cotillo predicted the Red Sox would ultimately turn to free agency to stabilize the infield before Opening Day.<\/p>\n Eugenio Su\u00e1rez Emerges as Cleanest Infield Fix<\/p>\n Cotillo\u2019s projection has the Red Sox signing Eugenio Su\u00e1rez<\/a>, a move that would immediately bring structure to an otherwise fluid infield picture. Su\u00e1rez would slot in at third base, allowing Marcelo Mayer<\/a> to open the season at second and easing the pressure to overpay on the trade market.<\/p>\n The appeal is straightforward: power and availability. Su\u00e1rez is coming off a 49-home-run season<\/a>, his second All-Star campaign, and one of the most productive power years in baseball. While his overall slash line<\/a> settled at .228\/.298\/.526, his ability to change games with one swing remains elite. Over the past two seasons, he has hit 79 home runs\u2014production the Red Sox lineup sorely lacks after losing Alex Bregman to the Cubs<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are risks baked in. Su\u00e1rez strikes out at a high rate and grades as a below-average defender at third base. His numbers dipped after last season\u2019s trade from Arizona to Seattle, where the offensive environment proved far less forgiving. Still, even during that stretch, Su\u00e1rez showed that his power plays anywhere, and his postseason production reinforced his value in high-leverage moments.<\/p>\n Why the Timing and Market Work in Boston\u2019s Favor<\/p>\n From Boston\u2019s perspective, the broader market may be just as important as the player. Cotillo noted that while the Red Sox remain engaged in trade talks for infielders, asking prices have stayed firm. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow<\/a> has shown little interest in moving premium pitching or outfield depth for a deal he views as misaligned in value.<\/p>\n At the same time, the free-agent market for Su\u00e1rez appears slower than initially expected. Rival evaluators have speculated that his eventual contract could come in well below early projections, opening the door for a short-term agreement that delivers immediate impact without costing prospects. For a team already navigating CBT constraints, that kind of efficiency matters.<\/p>\n Signing Su\u00e1rez would not solve every roster question, but it would simplify the puzzle. Boston could enter the season with a defined third baseman, a clear path for Mayer, and greater flexibility to manage its surplus elsewhere. It would also reduce the urgency to make a midseason trade from a position of weakness.<\/p>\n Cotillo framed<\/a> the scenario as projection rather than reporting, but the logic is difficult to ignore. As spring training nears and the trade market remains gridlocked, the Red Sox may find that the most practical solution is also the simplest one\u2014adding proven power and letting the rest of the roster finally settle into place.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlvin Garcia<\/a> Born in Puerto Rico, Alvin Garcia is a sports writer for Heavy.com who focuses on MLB. His work has appeared on FanSided, LWOS, NewsBreak, Athlon Sports, and Yardbarker, covering mostly baseball. More about Alvin Garcia<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Red Sox\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Boston Red Sox have addressed much of their offseason shopping list, but as spring training approaches,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2375],"tags":[5,141,48,2542,4,89,2543],"class_list":{"0":"post-545107","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-red-sox","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-boston","10":"tag-boston-red-sox","11":"tag-bostonredsox","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-red-sox","14":"tag-redsox"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115981703049143739","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}