For a while there, the Boston Red Sox’s offseason swap with the Milwaukee Brewers looked like the kind of deal that would haunt one side for months. By the end of May, the early returns had people ready to call it a miss for Boston.
Kyle Harrison was rolling in Milwaukee, putting together a breakout left-handed season, while Caleb Durbin - the key piece coming back to the Red Sox - was stuck in a brutal stretch through the first two months of the year. That picture has changed, though, and it’s changed fast.
Durbin has started to turn things around, Harrison has been sidelined by injury, and now Boston has another name in the mix who’s making the trade look a lot better for the Red Sox: Andruw Monasterio.
Monasterio, who has emerged as the surprise everyday shortstop after a wave of injuries, delivered the latest reminder Wednesday night against the Athletics. He crushed a two-run homer to put Boston ahead 4-2 in the top of the 10th, and that was the difference in the game after Greg Weissert finished things off in the bottom half.
The timing couldn’t be much better for Monasterio. Since July 1, he’s posted a 1.118 OPS with three home runs, and the Red Sox have gone 13-4 in the games he’s played this month. Right now, he’s the clear shortstop option on most nights, with Nick Sogard standing as the only real alternative.
On the season, Monasterio is hitting .260 with a .780 OPS, a 119 OPS+, six home runs and 1.0 bWAR in 67 games.
There’s also the larger trade picture. Boston’s addition of Monasterio has effectively balanced out the decision to send David Hamilton to Milwaukee, and at least for the 2026 season, the Red Sox are looking like the side that came out ahead.
Now the question is whether there’s another move to be made before Monday’s deadline. For the Red Sox, Monasterio and the rest of the group just need to keep stacking wins and hope the front office gives this turnaround a little more help.
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Bostons interest makes sense on paper because both players would come with years of control, giving the club help beyond a one-year fix. The problem is the kind of price that usually comes with that sort of certainty, and it is the sort of deal that forces a front office to decide whether solving two holes now is worth sacrificing the kind of young talent it has spent years building up. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Quietly Emerge For A Catcher Target Who Could Change Everything
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Colorado is not eager to move him, though, and any real conversation would have to start with a meaningful return. The profile is easy to understand: a catcher with impact pop, some swing-and-miss in the bat, and arbitration eligibility looming next offseason, which makes him the sort of player contenders can dream on and rebuilding clubs can still afford to keep. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Rumored Infield Target May Already Be Off The Board
Shortstop chatter around the deadline has a familiar name in the middle of it, but the fit is not nearly as clean as the buzz suggests. ESPNs Buster Olney reported that Washington has set a steep asking price for CJ Abrams, whose bat has been one of the more productive ones in the league this season even as his glove remains a concern.
For Boston, the rumor still matters because the Red Sox have a clearer need at shortstop than the Yankees do, with Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer both on the injured list. New York can lean on internal options at the position, which is part of why Abrams feels more like a long shot than a realistic deadline prize, even if his offensive upside makes him easy to dream on. [Read more 🡒]