Boston could use a right-handed bat
The bat shatters as Cincinnati Reds second base Jonathan India (6) flies out in the in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The Reds led 1-0 after two innings.
Could the Boston Red Sox swing a deal for a recent National League Rookie of the Year to bolster the middle infield with less than a week until the July 30 trade deadline?
The Red Sox might be more desperate than ever to bolster the roster after limping to a 1-4 start to the unofficial second half of the season. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has his sights set on upgrading the pitching staff in the coming days, though he reportedly has interest in acquiring a right-handed bat as well.
Many expect Breslow's biggest move to aid the rotation. Could the general consensus be wrong?
"I'd expect the Red Sox to add pitching — both their rotation and bullpen have been depleted this month — but they've needed reinforcements up the middle all year, particularly a right-handed hitter who can lengthen the lineup," FOX Sports' Rowan Kavner wrote Wednesday. "There are plenty of helpful candidates who should be available for the right price at second base, where the Red Sox rank last in the majors in wRC+."
Kavner listed Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India as the possible target to fill their middle infield need.
India is hitting .275 with 30 extra-base hits including eight home runs, 40 RBIs and a .796 OPS (122 OPS+) in 93 games this season.
The 27-year-old can flat-out hit but he's far from the ideal Red Sox target in my mind. India would undoubtedly bolster a lineup that has lacked right-handed offense all season long.
However, with two more years of team control after 2024, the rising star does not fit into the Red Sox's timeline. Boston will regain shortstop Trevor Story by spring training at the latest -- if not at the very end of this season -- and second baseman Vaughn Grissom already is appearing in rehab games.
Then you have star prospect Marcelo Mayer tearing through the minors and Nick Yorke finally showing why he was selected in the first round amid his breakout performance with Triple-A Worcester.
As for India, his offensive production has been nearly canceled out by his defensive woes throughout his young career. The second baseman has accrued -22 outs above average throughout his four big-league seasons, making him a defensive liability for much of his Reds tenure. To be fair, he has improved mightily in 2024 -- he has one OAA compared to minus-six a season ago.
I'd like to see a little more defensively before adding another controllable middle infielder to the already boisterous cluster the organization currently holds.
The focus should be to add as much pitching help as possible while seeking a rental right-handed bat to aid Masataka Yoshida as a platoon designated hitter or possibly another right-handed outfielder that would allow Ceddanne Rafaela to stay at shortstop indefinitely.
