The Boston Red Sox have already made one trade for a middle infielder leading up to the trade deadline by adding Curtis Mead.
Mead is already on the injured list, but he is a piece that can help them for the next few seasons. However, reports suggest they are still in the market for a shortstop. With second base now taken, adding a shortstop would essentially put Marcelo Mayer and Trevor Story out of starting jobs, at least in the long run.
"The Boston Red Sox are giving up on the idea that Trevor Story will help them when he returns from the IL and are aggressively trying to acquire a shortstop," wrote USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Friday. "They are asking about everyone from Zach Neto of the Angels to C.J. Abrams of the Washington Nationals to Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins to Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros."
In the short-term, Story and Mayer could come off the injured list and play second base while Mead recovers if the Red Sox add a shortstop. However, the team's search for a shortstop is telling of what they think of both Story and Mayer.
Neither was playing well before their respective injuries. Shortstop is clearly a hole right now, but the Red Sox are expecting Story to be healthy at some point, and he is under contract for next season. They could easily wait out his return and continue to let Andruw Monasterio play shortstop. However, they clearly don't trust Story any longer.
As for Mayer, he may actually need more time in Triple-A. He won a starting job in the spring, but now the Red Sox have a better option at second base in Mead. Soon, they will have a better option at shortstop, whether it be an acquisition or Franklin Arias.