The Boston Red Sox have to find at least one right-handed bat before the season starts... right?
Sep 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (3) hits a two RBI single against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Matt Marton-Imagn Images
After a season where the Red Sox tore up righty pitching and were routinely dominated by lefties, Boston lost its best righty bat to free agency in Tyler O'Neill. They've still yet to do anything to replace O'Neill, and Spring Training now lurks around the corner.
For all the positivity the Red Sox built up with the additions of Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, the beginning of the season will take on a very negative tone if the offense goes untouched from this point onward.
If the Red Sox aren't going to sign two-time All-Star Alex Bregman, which is looking more likely by the day, then something else has to give. Perhaps it's a trade, rather than digging deeper into the free-agent rolodex, that will produce the best possible results.
To that end, FanSided's Chris Landers recently proposed a trade with the Los Angeles Angels that would net the Red Sox left fielder Taylor Ward, who Landers called an "underrated trade target."
"Ward has frequently been derailed by injuries over the past few seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. When he's right, though, he's a very solid all-around hitter, someone who can hit for average, get on base and deliver 20-25 homers a year — maybe even more with 81 home games at Fenway Park," Landers wrote.
"And with a surplus in the outfield right now, L.A. might be willing to send him east for the right price."
Ward, 31, has quietly posted OPS+ figures between 105 and 134 in each of the last four seasons. His best year was 2022, when he had an .833 OPS and 3.6 bWAR, but he played a career-high 156 games last year and slugged 25 home runs.
The Red Sox would love to add 25 righty home runs to their lineup, especially considering Ward slugged 90 points higher against lefties (.496) than righties last season. But it all depends on how much the Angels are asking in exchange for two years of team control.
