Red Sox Eye .315 Righthanded Hitter as Trade Deadline ‘Target’: Report

The Red Sox have dropped four straight games coming out of the All-Star break, perhaps putting a damper on which direction they’ll take when next week’s MLB trade deadline comes around. Team honcho Craig Breslow has vowed to “pick a lane” when it comes to the deadline, either as a firm seller or a firm buyer. Maybe the current Western slump will force a sell-off, but the Red Sox remain in the thick of the wild card chase, two games behind the Royals and Twins.

With that in mind, there’s still hope that the Red Sox can bounce back, play well and hopefully add to a roster that has holes to fill if, indeed, the team wants to make a playoff run. The biggest holes, at least in the field, are up the middle, where injuries to Trevor Story and Vaughn Grissom have forced the Red Sox to scramble to man shortstop and second base.

There is a player who could very well help solve both issues for the stretch run, one who may be on the trade market: Angels infielder Luis Rengifo, a much-needed righty hitter dealing with a wrist injury, but in the middle of the best year of his career for an L.A. team that is in for an overhaul.

Luis Rengifo: ‘One Target’ for a Deadline Trade

According to MassLive beat reporter Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox have Rengifo as a target. That makes sense, because though Rengifo is not a superior defender, he does have the ability to play both second base and shortstop, and has played third base, too.

Multiple reports have the Angels likely to move Rengifo, though they’re apparently playing hard to get.

Wrote Cotillo: “Luis Rengifo, a super-utility type with Angels, is one target, though the Angels’ stance to date reflects a preference to retain Rengifo, who is under control through 2025. Whether that is mere posturing on the part of the Angels, designed to drive up the asking price, remains to be seen.”

Rengifo is hitting a career-high .315 this season, with a .353 on-base percentage. He’s stolen 22 bases, also a career high.

The Red Sox have cycled through a variety of second basemen this year, mostly leaning on Enmanuel Valdez, a second-year player who is hitting just .226 on the season.

Red Sox Still Unsure About Buying or Selling

Perhaps more pressing, though, could be the team’s need for pitching, as injuries have wreaked havoc on a staff that has overachieved and is lacking depth. Rob Bradford of WEEI in Boston reported that the Red Sox would have interest in bringing back James Paxton, who was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday and will be traded in the coming days.

Paxton pitches for the Red Sox last year, and was 8-2 on the season for the Dodgers, though he compiled an ERA of 4.43 and led the league with 48 walks.

Kenley Jansen, the veteran closer who could be on the move if the Red Sox decide to give up pieces at the deadline, wasn’t happy when the Red Sox sold at last year’s trade deadline. He told Cotillo that he hopes the team adds some help, but he did not sound convinced they would.

“Yeah, but at the end of the day, they know what they have planned,” Jansen said. “They probably have their five-year plan or something. But this is a great team. We should be competing. We’ll see what’s going to happen here down the road.

“It’s going to be interesting in a week to watch.”