Red Sox Floated as Trade Destination for Projected $132 Million Slugger

Getty The Red Sox have a hole at shortstop after Trevor Story's injury. Could Brewers infielder Willy Adames fill the void?

Heading into 2024 spring training, the middle infield pairing for the Boston Red Sox was projected to be Trevor Story at shortstop and Vaughn Grissom at second base. They’re now both on the injured list, so could Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames be a trade target for Boston?

Grissom is expected to return from the IL soon as he continues working back from a groin strain. However, Story was recently lost for the year after fracturing a bone in his left shoulder that required season-ending surgery. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer included Adames in a group of potential trade targets that could help the Sox.

The right-handed hitter has flashed power in the past, which included hitting 31 home runs with 98 RBI in 2022. Adames is off to a somewhat slow start through his first 49 regular-season plate appearances. It included a .227/.306/.409 triple slash with two homers, four RBI and five runs scored.

Adames is expected to hit free agency in November. He’s currently making $12.25 million in his final year of arbitration. The Athletic’s Tim Britton calculated a potential contract extension of six years and $132 million for him.

Boston Red Sox’s Willy Adames Interest Will Depend on Their Performance

The Red Sox have surprised a bit through their first 13 games. Manager Alex Cora has watched his club jump out to a 7-6 record and be in the thick of the American League East race (although it’s still very early). But could it just be a mirage?

It’s possible when strictly looking at their first four head-to-head matchups. Boston went 7-3 in its first 10 games against the Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels. This included a sweep of the A’s and a five-game winning streak from March 31-April 5.

But heading into action on April 12, none of those teams were above .500. Los Angeles was the best of the bunch at 6-6. The Red Sox opened their home schedule at Fenway Park on April 9 with a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. Expected to be a postseason contender again, the O’s swept them.

Boston is expected to occupy last place in the AL East, per Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections. Pursuing Adames to fill the club’s void in the middle infield makes a lot of sense. But it’ll also depend on the Red Sox staying in contention as the July 30 trade deadline creeps closer.

Could the Boston Red Sox Pry Willy Adames Away From the Brewers?

As is usually the case in these situations, it takes two to tango. If the Red Sox remain in contention enough to justify buying at the deadline, Adames could be a likely target. However, it would also depend on what the Brewers want to do for the stretch run.

Despite trading staff ace Corbin Burnes to the Orioles in February, they’re off to a hot start in what could be a very tight divisional race in the National League Central. Acquiring Joey Ortiz in the Burnes deal led to Milwaukee making Adames available via trade, per a February 4 report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

In that same report, Nightengale also made it sound like the Brewers didn’t feel any urgency in dealing the 28-year-old. “They could also trade Adames at the deadline or simply let him walk as a free agent next winter,” he said.

So, if the Red Sox end up being interested in Adames, there will likely be multiple moving parts involved before it could become a reality.