Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox might have to make a trade in order to improve their infield at this point in the offseason.
The Red Sox can cross off another name who could potentially help their infield as the list continues to dwindle.
Bo Bichette agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract to join the Mets on Friday, according to multiple reports. The Red Sox had been linked to the former Blue Jays shortstop in recent weeks, with rumors about Boston potentially landing Bichette heating up in the aftermath of Alex Bregman’s departure.
But with Bichette off the board and Bregman now with the Cubs, the Red Sox’ options to improve their infield are starting to become more and more limited. The door has also been shut to acquire Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte this offseason, The Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier reported Friday.
There are some ways, though, the Red Sox can still improve their infield between now and Opening Day. So, let’s look at four possible options for the Red Sox to improve their infield.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B, free agent
Suarez seems like the most plausible of the five options, or at least the most easily attainable of the group as he’s still a free agent. The Red Sox have viewed Suarez as a fallback option this offseason, putting a potential pursuit of him on the back burner as they tried to re-sign Bregman, Speier reported earlier this week.
If the Red Sox were able to land Suarez, the 34-year-old right-handed hitter would likely slot in at third base and instantly become the team’s top power bat. His 49 homers this past season were the fifth-most in baseball. He’s also hit at least 30 homers in six of the last seven seasons (2020 season excluded).
Suarez, though, is a bit boom or bust at the plate. He logged a .228 batting average between his stints with the Diamondbacks and Mariners in 2025. He’s hit below .250 in all but one season since 2020.
Still, Suarez would give the Red Sox’ lineup some much-needed pop and alleviate some pressure off Roman Anthony. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected earlier in the offseason that Suarez would wind up signing a two-year, $45 million contract in free agency.
Nico Hoerner, 2B, Cubs
Maybe the Red Sox and Cubs can swap infielders following Chicago’s decision to sign Bregman? The Cubs have a bit of an infield glut after the move, with Hoerner potentially being the realistic odd man out, as he’s only under team control for one more season.
Hoerner has become the focus of some trade rumors since the Bregman signing as well. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer also didn’t completely shut down the possibility of trading Hoerner when he spoke with reporters on Thursday. The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman floated the possibility that the Red Sox could make a run for Hoerner, too.
Hoerner, 28, doesn’t have the power Suarez has, failing to hit more than 10 home runs in a single season. But he’s a much more well-rounded player. Hoerner’s .297 batting average this past season was the fourth time in his career he’s hit at least .280. He also logged 29 stolen bases in 2025, which was actually the fewest he’s had since 2022. He had 43 stolen bases in 2023 and 31 in 2024.
The righty can also get extra-base hits, logging at least 25 doubles in each of the last three seasons. Just as importantly, Hoerner’s one of the best fielding second basemen in the league. He’s won a Gold Glove in two of the last three seasons, with his 15 Outs Above Average ranking 12th in all of baseball last season.
Isaac Paredes, 3B, Astros
The Red Sox have also been linked to Paredes in recent weeks, and Boston has been talking to Houston about the standout third baseman, according to Heyman.
Paredes, a 26-year-old right-handed hitter, has a bit of a similar hitting profile to recent Red Sox acquisition Willson Contreras. He hit .254 with 20 homers, 53 RBIs, and a .809 OPS in 102 games last season. Paredes averaged roughly 23 homers per season in the three seasons prior to that when he was with the Rays and Cubs, logging a .234 batting average and a .776 OPS during that time.
The Astros received Paredes as the headline player in their trade of star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs last offseason, and he still has two years left of team control. So, you’d imagine that the cost for Paredes wouldn’t come cheap, if the Astros are willing to trade him at all.
A trade with the Mets
Similar to the Cubs after the Bregman deal, the Mets’ addition of Bichette has created a bit of a logjam in the infield. Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco seem in line to be New York’s everyday starters in the infield, leaving young players like Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Luisangel Acuna in flux.
On top of that, the Mets have a clear need for outfield help as they lack established outfield production outside of Juan Soto. So, the Red Sox and Mets might be natural trade partners as Boston’s yet to trade from its outfield glut this offseason.
Baty and Vientos are probably the more natural options for the Red Sox out of the players who could be the odd men out for the Mets. The two 26-year-olds split third base duty for the Mets last season, with Baty doubling as a second baseman and Vientos occasionally being New York’s designated hitter.
Baty would give the Red Sox another left-handed hitter, which isn’t ideal, but he hit .254 with 18 homers and a .748 OPS in 130 games last season. He’s also an above-average fielder, ranking in the 70th percentile among all fielders in Outs Above Average.
Vientos, meanwhile, is a right-handed hitter with some pop. He had 27 homers in 2024 before hitting 17 homers in 121 games last season. He’s also logged a .250 batting average and a .769 OPS over the last two seasons, but Vientos isn’t a good fielder. His minus-seven Outs Above Average was among the worst in baseball last season.
Both Baty and Vientos are free agents through the end of the decade. So, the Mets don’t necessarily need to get rid of them by any means. But trading either one of them for Jarren Duran or another one of the Red Sox’s outfielders would seemingly make sense for both sides.
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