Trade With AL-East Rival May Make Sense For Infield-Needy Red Sox At Right Price

The Boston Red Sox certainly are in the market for infield help. 

Boston will be without the services of second baseman Trevor Story for at least the start of the 2023 campaign after undergoing elbow surgery. With Story's expected absence and Xander Bogaerts no longer calling Boston home, the Red Sox have some holes to fill and have been reportedly considering multiple options. 

The team could improve the infield heading into next season by considering a deal with the American League East rival Toronto Blue Jays for Whit Merrifield or Santiago Espinal. 

Toronto is loaded in the infield at the moment. The Blue Jays may even have too much depth at second base to the point where they could potentially consider a deal. With Merrifield, Espinal, and Cavan Biggio on the roster, second base is very crowded. Toronto is full up at the other infield positions with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. manning first base, Bo Bichette taking shortstop, and Matt Chapman at third base, there may not be playing time for some of the second basemen. 

Both Merrifield and Espinal have been All-Stars and could help give Boston some breathing room as it waits for Story to return to the field. The Red Sox's farm system has drastically improved in recent years so the team would have the draft capital necessary to pull off a deal if Toronto had any interest. Plus, with intriguing pieces like Tanner Houck on the Major League roster, the Red Sox could maybe work something out. 

Merrifield likely would be the easier option for the Red Sox to acquire as he's on a bigger deal and is expected to hit free agency before the 2025 season. Espinal is on a cheaper, team-friendly deal and is arbitration-eligible for the next few years and will be on cheaper deals until free agency ahead of the 2027 season. 

Espinal was an All-Star in 2022 and is team-controlled for the next few years so a deal may be extremely unlikely unless Boston offered a massive haul. Merrifield certainly would be more realistic and was solid in 2022 slashing .250/.298/.375 and has a sure hand at second base. 

While a deal between the Red Sox and Blue Jays may not be likely, based on the fact that Toronto has an influx of second basemen, maybe it could be something Boston considers.