Red Sox Named Potential Trade Fit for 2-Time All-Star to Fill Shortstop Gap

Getty After Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story went down with injury, the team may seek a replacement via trade

The Boston Red Sox have opened the 2024 season with a slew of injuries that threaten to derail a surprisingly strong start from the pitching staff, with sluggers Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill among those most recently bitten by the injury bug.

One star who won’t be returning at all this season is shortstop Trevor Story, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury while making a diving defensive play in the team’s home opener. The Red Sox have attempted to fill Story’s spot with a mix of substitutes, but Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report suggested the team acquire a replacement via trade, listing former All-Star Tim Anderson as a potential candidate.

“It’s a brutal blow for a team that had been playing well above expectations at the outset,” Rymer wrote. “The only way that’s going to continue now is if the Red Sox find someone who can at least replicate Story’s defense, which is already sorely missed.”

The Boston Red Sox Have Struggled to Fill the Shortstop Spot

In the wake of Story’s injury, the Red Sox have started David Hamilton and Pablo Reyes at shortstop — Hamilton has committed three errors, while Reyes has two. Now, Ceddanne Rafaela will be given a go.

“The solution for the Red Sox remaining 144 games may lie somewhere outside the organization,” Jake Reiser noted for Over The Monster. 

That’s where Anderson, a nine-year MLB veteran who has been a top-ten defensive shortstop in MLB since 2020, comes in.

Anderson is a career .282/.312/.420 hitter who won the American League batting crown in 2019, a Silver Slugger Award in 2020 and All-Star nods in 2021 and 2022. Since then, his numbers have slipped, leading him to a one-year, $5 million deal with the Miami Marlins for this season.

Though his fielding percentage fell as low as .962 at shortstop last season, it has climbed back up to .966 in 147 innings this season.

The Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins Could Have Mutual Interest in a Tim Anderson Trade

If the Red Sox see a defensive upgrade in adding Anderson, it seems like they might opt for a trade to add him. They pulled off an acquisition early in the season by sending cash considerations to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Vladimi Gutierrez to address their thinning pitching depth, for instance.

If the Red Sox want to do likewise to address their gap at shortstop, the Miami Marlins are likely to listen to offers for Anderson as general manager Peter Bendix had often flipped veterans for young assets in his previous stint with the Tampa Bay Rays.

“If their play does not improve, first-year general manager Peter Bendix almost certainly will be more inclined to dismantle his roster,” Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin reported for The Athletic. “If the Marlins are going to operate like the Rays, they will be open to trading all players at all times. And if they continue to spiral, it might only accelerate the process.”

Many of the top-ranked prospects in the Red Sox farm system would be untouchable in what could be a half-season rental for Anderson, but the team does have a lot of young hitters to leverage. Depending on how the rest of the season plays out, Anderson may be had for little more than some payroll relief.