Boston is searching for hitting as the trade deadline looms near
A detailed view of Boston Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) helmet in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field
The Boston Red Sox need to add a right-handed bat, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will be toggling between a bunch of options between now and July 30.
If the market dries up and targets such as J.D. Martinez, Kevin Newman, and Jonathan India become inconveniently unavailable, Breslow needs to establish a long list of possible acquisitions.
Breslow would do well to add Josh Bell of the Miami Marlins to his target list, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.
Bowden reported on Tuesday that Bell is a good match for the Red Sox.
“I keep hearing from opposing general managers that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow continues to show interest in acquiring pitching, pitching and pitching,” Bowden said. “However … a power right-handed hitter would make some sense … Josh Bell of the Marlins or Mark Canha of the Tigers could possibly fit.”
Bell, 31, won a Silver Slugger Award in 2022 as a member of the San Diego Padres and was an All-Star in 2019 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He’s slashing .224/ .287/ .349 this season with nine home runs, and a return to the mean could be in order during the second half, as Bell is a career .256 hitter.
Breslow will undoubtedly be gauging Bell’s availability this week as the Red Sox look to escape from the mire of a four-game losing streak.
