The Boston Red Sox are entering the winter with a checklist of sorts. They've got to find a starting pitcher, and they've got to balance out the lineup with at least one more right-handed hitter.
Pitching is tough to find, and the Red Sox will likely have to pay a premium for it in free agency or on the trade market. But every team's lineup is balanced out differently, and to find their righty bat, the Red Sox could look to a team with a logjam to try and score a cheap deal.
The Atlanta Braves may be the perfect trade partner in that regard. They lost superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. for the season to an ACL tear and overloaded their outfield trying to replace him. Whenever Acuña comes back, which could be as soon as Opening Day, there are going to be too many mouths to feed in Atlanta.
With that in mind, the Red Sox could look to capitalize by trading for a righty who hits the ball as hard as anyone in the big leagues. Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer listed Boston as a trade fit for right fielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler in a Friday column.
"(Marcell) Ozuna and Jorge Soler... can't both be the club's DH. The latter can technically play right field, but his defensive metrics present a strong argument for why he never should," Rymer said.
"Soler, 32, had a hit-or-miss sort of year, but he ended strong with an .849 OPS after coming from the San Francisco Giants in July. When coupled with the 36 homers he blasted in 2023, he should be marketable as a potent power bat."
There are certain hitters whose swings fit Fenway Park like a glove, and Soler is absolutely one of those hitters. His violent uppercut swing would deposit balls onto Lansdowne Street with regularity, and he also has quietly become a solid on-base threat over the past couple of seasons.
Trading for Soler would also likely necessitate moving on from designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, who recently underwent shoulder surgery and is questionable to return by Opening Day. That could be a tough sell, but the Red Sox could eat most of the money on Yoshida's deal to sweeten the pot.
A two-time World Series champion and 2021 World Series MVP, Soler shines the brightest when the games matter the most. Adding a star who rises to the occasion in October could be the shot in the arm the Red Sox need to finally become championship contenders once again.
