The Boston Red Sox enter the offseason with a clear need staring them in the face: shortstop. After getting dominated by the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series, Boston is expected to attack roster upgrades hard, and that has already pushed the club into the conversation for a major name from Houston.
That name is Jeremy Pena, a 29-year-old who has emerged as one of the top trade candidates on the Astros this winter. The fit is easy enough to see. Boston needs another star middle infielder, and Pena would give them exactly that kind of presence.
Miller wrote, "And because they rather expect Arias to be a key piece of the puzzle by no later than 2028, trading for a multi-year solution a la CJ Abrams, Zach Neto or Corey Seager probably isn't the route they want to go, if they can instead get one year of Pena at a not-too-exorbitant cost,"
For the Red Sox, Pena would be more than a short-term patch. He’d bring All-Star-level production to the top of the lineup and add another former Gold Glove winner to the mix. That combination is the kind of upgrade Boston has been missing at a premium position.
Pena backed up that appeal with his numbers this season. In 112 games with Houston, he hit 22 home runs, drove in 56 runs and batted .277. That came after an even stronger 2025 campaign, when he put up 17 home runs, 62 RBI and a .304 average in 125 games and made the All-Star team.
If Boston is serious about contending, Pena looks like the type of player who would immediately deepen the roster. The question now is whether the Red Sox decide to push in that direction.
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Red Sox Linked To Electric Infield Star Boston Fans Will Want
The Red Sox are being tied to one of the most electric young infielders in baseball, with reports saying Boston has shown interest in a trade for Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Any conversation around a player like that immediately changes the temperature of an offseason discussion, because De La Cruz is the kind of talent who can alter the look of a lineup and the feel of an infield almost overnight.
For Boston, the fit is obvious enough to keep the rumor alive. The question is whether Cincinnati would seriously move a player with his upside, and whether the Reds might even entertain that kind of decision before the 2028 season as contract and arbitration issues begin to loom. Until then, the Red Sox are left watching a storyline that carries real intrigue for a club always looking to add impact talent up the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Power Answer May Come Down To One Risky Bet
Triston Casas has already shown why the Red Sox keep circling back to him as a possible power source, and the appeal is easy to understand. When he has been healthy, his left-handed bat has looked like the kind Boston can build around, especially if the club wants a more direct answer in the middle of the order without having to chase it elsewhere.
The problem, as always, is whether the body cooperates long enough for that plan to matter. Boston may be willing to explore a designated hitter role for Casas if he gets all the way back, but the uncertainty around his recovery keeps that idea in the realm of possibility rather than certainty for now. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Have A Real Franklin Arias Dilemma This Offseason
Boston is trying to sort through an infield puzzle that could shape the way it handles Franklin Arias this offseason, and the fit is not a simple one. Trevor Story is still part of the conversation in the middle infield, while Curtis Meads role may also need to be defined before the roster settles into place for next season.
Arias is the name that makes the decision more interesting because his development matters as much as the major league alignment. He is turning 21 soon, and the Red Sox have reason to be careful with how they introduce him, since the best path for his growth appears to be one that lets him play every day in the field rather than bouncing around in a limited role. [Read more 🡒]