The Boston Red Sox must maximize their trade opportunities between now and Tuesday night.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has provided some balance to the lefty-heavy Red Sox lineup by adding Danny Jansen, but Boston could benefit from an additional right-handed bat.
The rental market — comprised of players with expiring contracts — is an advantageous place for Breslow to be perusing right now. The Red Sox have played themselves into fringe contention for this fall, but they are still a team built for the next five to seven years.
From Breslow’s perspective, adding a rental to the lineup would enhance Boston’s playoff chances this year without compromising the franchise’s salary cap or clubhouse chemistry moving forward.
As such, an interesting rental opportunity has presented itself to Boston out of Tampa Bay. The Rays are reportedly making infielder Amed Rosario available on the market, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“With Arozarena and Eflin gone, the Rays are expected to next focus on moving two potential free agents, reliever Shawn Armstrong and infielder Amed Rosario,” Rosenthal said on Saturday.
Rosario is slashing .312/ .336/ .423 for the Rays this year. He can play multiple infield positions (including second base), making him a sneaky good fit for the Red Sox.
Boston has improved over the past week due to Breslow’s moves, but adding an explosive player like Rosario -- who was the American League triples leader in 2022 -- would take Breslow’s deadline performance to the next level.
