It was no secret at the MLB trade deadline back in early August that Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow was looking to upgrade at shortstop. Despite being linked to some players, Breslow stood pat.
Part of the reason he stood pat was that he knew that Trevor Story was working his way back from an injury. When Story was out, Andruw Monasterio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Tsung-Che Chang played a majority of the games. One name missing was prospect Franklin Arias.
Story ended up playing in just 62 games, 27 after he returned from his injury. He slashed .269/.305/.410 with two RBIs in September. Not exactly what a struggling offense was looking for. It wouldn’t be surprising if Breslow looked to upgrade the position from outside the organization. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed one trade target for Breslow.
Boston Red Sox Urged To Trade for Jeremy Peña From the Houston Astros
Miller listed Houston Astros all-star shortstop Jeremy Peña as a prime trade target. That would be tough for a couple of reasons.
The first being Story has one year remaining in his contract that was for six years and $140 million he signed before the 2022 season. Good luck moving that contract. Second, Arias might only be a year away, if not ready next season.
“Though they have a potential star waiting in the wings in the form of top prospect Franklin Arias, the Red Sox got a whole lot of nothing from their 2B and SS spots in 2026. And because they rather expect Arias to be a key piece of the puzzle by no later than 2028, trading for a multi-year solution a la CJ Abrams, Zach Neto or Corey Seager probably isn’t the route they want to go, if they can instead get one year of Peña at a not-too-exorbitant cost,” wrote Miller.
Peña is arbitration-eligible in 2027 for around $13 million. He will become a free agent next winter, whether he’s still with the Astros or not.
Boston Red Sox Have Some Interesting Decisions This Offseason
Making a trade for Peña or anyone else is risky given how close to the majors Arias is. He was untouchable in trade talks around the deadline. However, despite that, he never made it up to Boston despite Story’s injury. Does that mean Boston sees him as someone who is still a year away?
Peña is someone who would be an upgrade at a position that needs it for the Red Sox. Boston could run it back with Story and give him a chance to improve and solidify the position. If not, then they have Arias waiting in the wings.
Houston has three infielders: Peña, Isaac Paredes, and Christian Walker, who could be moved this offseason. Not all three will be moved, but with Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve still under contract, there is a logjam in the infield.
The question Breslow has to answer is whether trading for Peña, regardless of the asking price, is worth it for possibly one year. With Arias waiting in the wings, it doesn’t make sense. However, with Breslow, anything is possible in an attempt to win now.
Boston Red Sox Urged To Trade for All-Star Shortstop From American League Contender