The Boston Red Sox seem about one big offensive bat away from competing in the American League.
So with that in mind, and with a loaded crop of prospects at their disposal, the Red Sox were predicted by ESPN’s David Schoenfeld to part with three prospects, lefty starter Connelly Early, righty Juan Valera and infielder David Hamilton to land All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams from the Washington Nationals.
Abrams, 25, is a left-handed hitter who slashed .257/.315/.433 with 19 home runs, five triples, 60 RBIs and a career-high 92 runs scored for the Nationals last year. He was an All-Star in 2024 and has posted 31 stolen bases in consecutive seasons.
The Red Sox Are Predicted to Land CJ Abrams
The Red Sox signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has apparently set a goal to play for every American League East team. But they still could be in the market for a middle infielder, especially a game-changing type with speed and power, like Abrams.
Abrams has been a consistent 3.5-WAR player for three years now,” Schoenfeld wrote. “But there’s hope that there might be a little more ceiling to his game as he’s still just 25 years old.”
Plus, Schoenfeld noted there is some kinship between the Nats and Red Sox front offices.
“New Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was hired away from the Red Sox, where he had served as an assistant GM the past two years and director of amateur scouting before that,” Schoenfeld wrote. “He obviously knows the system, and the familiarity between the two front offices could help a deal come together.”
Trading Three Prospects is a Steep, But Fair Price For Boston
The Red Sox have the 11th-best prospect pool in the majors, which is impressive since they recently graduated Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell and, of course, Roman Anthony.
None of the above-listed names are pitchers, but Boston pool of starters is loaded too. So parting Early, who was exceptional while going 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and had 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings over four starts and started Game 3 of the AL Wild Card series, is not going to affect Boston as drastically because of what it has coming.
“Early reached the majors in 2025, but after the acquisitions of Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez this winter, he doesn’t have a place in the rotation and is behind Payton Tolle on the prospect depth chart,” Schoenfeld wrote.
Valera, like Early, is a top-100 prospect, but he’s only 19, which makes him a lottery ticket at this point. Hamilton is in the majors — he’s played 90-plus big-league games in each of the past two seasons.
But, as Schoenfeld noted, Boston is back in win-now mode and needs to keep up in the AL East with each of the past two American League champions, the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Plus, this trade works because the Sox get to hang onto Campbell, Mayer, Anthony and center fielder Cedanne Rafaela, all while improving.
“The Red Sox keep all four of their outfielders (there is still plenty of playing time to go around) while improving their infield without losing anybody forecast as a key contributor in 2026,” Schoenfeld wrote.
Red Sox Predicted to Part With Prospects to Land Nationals All-Star Before Season