The Boston Red Sox have been fairly busy this offseason strengthening their pitching staff, bringing in Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Johan Oviedo. With spring training approaching, it appears the club is now showing interest in improving its infield depth.
According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox have “checked in” with the Chicago Cubs on infielders Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw. While Chicago has had some exploratory talks, Boston faces an uphill climb given the asking price and the number of teams interested in both players.
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Hoerner, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, has been the subject of MLB trade rumors throughout the offseason. The 28-year-old has already been linked to the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and the Seattle Mariners.
However, San Francisco could now be out of the mix. The club just signed Luis Arraez to a one-year, $12 million deal. The three-time batting champion reportedly chose to sign with the Giants specifically because they were the club willing to let him play second base. Consequently, the move likely takes them out of the trade market for an infielder.
As for Boston, it had exploratory talks with versatile infielder Dylan Moore in January. He’s now off the board, however, after signing a minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
There would certainly be a bit of irony if Boston made a deal with Chicago to acquire an infielder. The Cubs signed All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman away from the Red Sox, creating the roster flexibility to potentially move Shaw or Hoerner. Of the two, it seems more likely that Hoerner is traded.
