The Boston Red Sox have started to get active in the trade market and are expected to continue exploring all options as the trade deadline nears.
While Boston is deemed a buyer at the deadline, they are willing to ship off players for the right price. Should they deem an outfielder whose name has been heavily featured in trade rumors as expendable, they could pull the trigger.
That player is outfielder Adam Duvall, who might be the lone Red Sox player in jeopardy of being traded away.
“The Red Sox still have to decide whether they want to buy or sell. Either way, Duvall could be part of a trade,” The Athletic Staff posted Tuesday. “The outfielder has a 119 OPS+ this season, but he’d be easy to deal as an impending free agent. Teams such as the (Los Angeles) Dodgers could be craving an outfield bat, and Duvall is among the best on the market.”
Duvall is hitting .259 with 21 extra-base hits including eight home runs, 28 RBIs and a .852 OPS in 41 games this season.
The consensus has been that the Red Sox would be willing to move him if they could improve their pitching staff in return. While that may be the priority, I wonder if the Dodgers could use their farm system to sway Boston.
The Red Sox have very little depth in the present or future in regard to the pitching staff. Of the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects, 12 of them are pitchers according to MLB Pipeline.
Boston could use one or two to bolster their depth and raise their ceiling for years to come. It’s also worth noting that most of those pitchers are in the upper levels of the minors, so they could help sooner rather than later.
