![\"Arizona](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26144185541846.jpg\")
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte hits against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/p>\nWhere do the Red Sox go from here?<\/p>\n
More than two months into the season the Red Sox still rank among MLB\u2019s most disappointing clubs, and a wholesale staff purge has done little to change the team\u2019s fortunes. The pitching and defense have been strong as expected, but offensively this year\u2019s Red Sox team ranks among the most punchless in franchise history.<\/p>\n
With the calendar turning to June, the Red Sox don\u2019t have much time before they\u2019re going to have to pick a lane.<\/p>\n
Can this team still be salvaged? And is it worth investing in reinforcements to help turn things around? Or are the Red Sox better off cutting their losses, selling their pending free agents and looking ahead to 2027?<\/p>\n
There are merits to both approaches, but also considerable risks.<\/p>\n
Case for buying<\/p>\n
Unlike with many bad teams, which tend to perform poorly all over the field, this Red Sox team has mostly been kneecapped by one obvious, overwhelming flaw. The offense has been so bad that the club often has to play perfect baseball just to have a chance.<\/p>\n
In theory, that should be a straightforward fix.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox need bats, and as luck would have it they have at least two infield spots where any addition could plug right into the lineup. Caleb Durbin has ranked among the worst offensive performers in MLB since joining the Red Sox, and with Trevor Story out and Marcelo Mayer now ensconced at shortstop, the Red Sox are rotating through a series of utility players who would otherwise be relegated to bench duty.<\/p>\n
Who could the Red Sox target?<\/p>\n
The most impactful infielder who could feasibly be traded is Arizona\u2019s Ketel Marte, who was on the trade block this offseason but ultimately wasn\u2019t moved. The second baseman is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who has topped 25 home runs in each of his last three seasons, and he was recently named National League Player of the Week. Marte is also a switch hitter and would immediately become Boston\u2019s biggest power threat.<\/p>\n
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte hits against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/p>\n
The Red Sox could also call old friend Paul Toboni, who left his post as Red Sox assistant general manager last fall to take over as head of baseball operations for the rebuilding Washington Nationals. All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams would probably be a long shot, but might Toboni consider parting with Curtis Mead? The Nationals picked the 25-year-old up off the scrap heap after spring training and now Mead is quietly in the middle of a breakout year.<\/p>\n
Other notable infielders on non-contending teams who might be worth a look include Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards, Angels shortstop Zach Neto and Giants utility man Casey Schmitt. And while he wouldn\u2019t solve Boston\u2019s power problem, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez is once again a contender for the batting title and would go a long way toward helping keep the line moving.<\/p>\n
![\"Boston,](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/soxms008_59a990.jpg\")
If the Red Sox sell at the trade deadline, Jarren Duran would seem a logical piece to deal. (Matt Stone\/Boston Herald)
\nCase for selling<\/p>\n
The downside to making these sorts of additions is they would cost the Red Sox money and prospects, and while the finances are ultimately a John Henry problem \u2014 the club is already over the luxury tax threshold either way \u2014 trading away more prospects could put the organization in a tough spot.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox would have to be really sure that whoever they trade for can actually make a difference and that a playoff berth is still possible. If not, the club should be prepared to aggressively sell.<\/p>\n
There are two groups of players who\u2019d make sense to deal.<\/p>\n
First is the pending free agents. Closer Aroldis Chapman and starter Sonny Gray both have rarely-exercised mutual options and are almost certain to hit the open market, so they would immediately become the club\u2019s most valuable trade chips.<\/p>\n
Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and left-handers Patrick Sandoval and Danny Coulombe are also due to hit unrestricted free agency, so they\u2019d probably be moved as well, and if the Red Sox really wanted to tear things down they could probably fetch a sizable return for Willson Contreras. He\u2019s been one of Boston\u2019s best performers and would offer interested clubs two additional years of club control past this season.<\/p>\n
Second, the Red Sox could streamline their roster and finally clear out the logjams that have gummed up the works for the past two years.<\/p>\n
Masataka Yoshida has one year remaining on his deal after this season but has reached a point where he\u2019s not only battling for DH at-bats with the club\u2019s other outfielders, but also Mickey Gasper. He clearly could use a change of scenery. And with Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela on long-term extensions and Wilyer Abreu now a two-time Gold Glove winner in right field, the Red Sox should also look to move Jarren Duran if a worthwhile deal emerges.<\/p>\n
With Yoshida and Duran off the books the club could move forward long-term with an outfield of Anthony, Rafaela and Abreu while freeing up the designated hitter slot for a true slugger.<\/p>\n
By executing a teardown the Red Sox could also restock their farm system and ideally add a new wave of position player prospects who could help the big league lineup next year and beyond. Right now the Red Sox only have a handful of guys who look likely to make an impact in the majors, and the more big bats the club has coming up, the better.<\/p>\n
Of course, the downside to aggressively selling is the season could go from bad to historically wretched. Are fans prepared to hear an endless stream of unflattering comparisons to the 1932 team throughout the second half? That\u2019s not a year fans should want any part of emulating.<\/p>\n
But, there is potentially another approach the Red Sox could take.<\/p>\n
![\"Boston](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26122471242918.jpg\")
Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo\/Mark Stockwell)
\nStrategic shakeup<\/p>\n
Usually buying and selling is a cop out, but with where the Red Sox are in their competitive cycle the approach might make some sense.<\/p>\n
When the Red Sox made the playoffs last year the belief was the club had finally taken the next step back toward sustained success and that their five-year rebuild was over. This year has obviously been a massive disappointment, but the foundational pieces are still in place, so if the Red Sox can reset their roster they might be able to position themselves for a quick bounce back.<\/p>\n
What might that look like?<\/p>\n
For starters, the club could execute the seller\u2019s playbook without completely burning the house to the ground. Duran and Yoshida? Go for it. Chapman and Gray? Sure. Contreras? Maybe not, since he could still conceivably be a middle of the order bat for the next Red Sox playoff contender.<\/p>\n
Then, instead of purely aiming for prospect capital, the club could use some of these players to acquire a big league hitter or two who can actually improve the lineup. Is any team willing to swap a solid infielder for Duran one-for-one? A deal like that would be much more helpful for the Red Sox than a package of Double-A prospects who may or may not one day amount to something.<\/p>\n
Ultimately if the Red Sox take this route the goal should be to decide who is a part of the future, who isn\u2019t and set the table for next year.<\/p>\n
Standing pat can\u2019t be an option.<\/p>\n
If the Red Sox don\u2019t do anything they could go into next season with exactly the same starting lineup as this year with all the same flaws and all the same redundancies. Every position player other than Kiner-Falefa is under team control for 2027, so this isn\u2019t a case where you can let someone walk this offseason and replace them with a better player in free agency.<\/p>\n
Outside of the lineup, the Red Sox do have a lot going for them. The starting rotation is in great shape. The bullpen could use a few more arms but is generally in a good spot. The young guys like Anthony, Rafaela, Abreu and Mayer should all continue to grow and develop. With all of that in place the Red Sox really shouldn\u2019t be too far from getting back on track.<\/p>\n
But for things to turn around the Red Sox have to be intentional. They have to pick a lane and commit to it so when the offseason comes they know exactly what holes they need to fill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where do the Red Sox go from here? More than two months into the season the Red Sox…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":713513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2375],"tags":[1113,5,141,48,2542,3983,6930,604,792,4,89,2543,16642,1587,10281,409],"class_list":["post-713512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boston-red-sox","tag-aroldis-chapman","tag-baseball","tag-boston","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-bostonredsox","tag-buy","tag-craig-breslow","tag-jarren-duran","tag-masataka-yoshida","tag-mlb","tag-red-sox","tag-redsox","tag-sell","tag-sonny-gray","tag-trade-deadline","tag-willson-contreras"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116668516615855627","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713512","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=713512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/713513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}