A couple of weeks ago, everyone was wondering which players the Boston Red Sox would trade away, but after a 14-game win streak, the conversation has changed.
Suddenly, fans are wondering who they will bring in. They need a right-handed bat, but surely would not turn down a lefty with great offense. The San Francisco Giants are expected to be sellers, and Luis Arraez could be a great fit for the Red Sox.
Arraez will be a free agent after the season and has made great strides defensively this year. His batting average is still one of the best in baseball, and he is chasing his fourth batting title. CBS Sports experts Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder both predicted Arraez would land with the Red Sox.
"With Marcelo Mayer out with injury (and playing poorly before the injury) and Anthony Seigler probably best suited to a reserve role, Arraez is a good fit for the surging Red Sox at second base," Perry wrote on Tuesday. "Additionally, since he's on a one-year deal, he won't block Mayer or anyone else in 2027."
"In the span of two weeks, the Red Sox have moved from firm seller to possible buyer, and this isn't a fan base that would tolerate doing anything half-hearted," wrote Snyder. "Grabbing Arraez to play second base and hit leadoff would help solidify things and also improve their depth and versatility elsewhere, freeing up Anthony Siegler and Andruw Monasterio for more utility work."
It would not be ideal, but Story and Mayer could platoon at shortstop with Arraez at second base. Unfortunately, both Story and Mayer were playing poorly before their respective injuries, so one or both of them could be in line to lose some playing time.
Arraez has a plus-10 outs above average this season and has the best whiff rate and strikeout rate in the majors. He is not going to give the team much power, but he could be a great on-base guy in front of Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu.