The Red Sox checked in on Otto Lopez, but the talks never got off the ground. According to Sean McAdam of MassLive.com, those conversations are “dead” now, and Miami’s asking price is the reason why.
The Marlins want a return built around “elite” prospect(s) if they’re going to part with Lopez, who still comes with more than three years of team control. Kevin Barral of Fish On First says Miami is not actively shopping its breakout shortstop so much as waiting to see whether anyone is willing to make an offer too good to ignore. Boston, at least so far, isn’t that team.
That stance makes sense when you look at what Lopez has become. The 27-year-old was designated for assignment by both the Blue Jays and Giants in 2024 before Miami claimed him and began using him as a utility piece.
From there, his role kept expanding. He settled in as a strong defender at second base, then switched spots with Xavier Edwards at shortstop, a move that worked out for both players.
The glove was already there. This year, the bat has shown up too.
Through 463 plate appearances, the right-handed Lopez is hitting .322/.356/.481. He has kept his strikeout rate under 14% for a second straight season, and he’s doing more damage on a rate basis than he had in previous years.
Lopez has nine home runs, putting him on track for a similar total to last year’s 15, but the extra-base hits have piled up in other ways. He has 27 doubles and seven triples this season, compared with 21 doubles and no triples in 2025, even though he’s done it in 131 fewer plate appearances.
He has also swiped 22 bases in 26 tries, a career high.
The overall package has pushed Lopez near the top of the sport’s value rankings. Baseball Reference has him second among all position players in wins above replacement, while FanGraphs has him tied with Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle for fifth.
Miami’s exact price remains unclear, but it’s obvious the Marlins are thinking big. The Red Sox have two prospects who would fit into the conversation: right-hander Anthony Eyanson, who is generally seen in the No. 30-50 range, and shortstop Franklin Arias, a consensus top-10 prospect and Baseball America’s No. 3 prospect in the game. The Athletic’s Keith Law has Arias fourth.
Either one would be a steep ask, and Arias especially would be a major haul. Lopez’s .354 batting average on balls in play is almost certainly going to come down some, but his low strikeout rate, speed and strong defense give him a very high floor.
He still isn’t arbitration-eligible and remains under club control through the 2029 season, his age-30 year. That gives Miami plenty of reason to push for multiple top-100 prospects, or even a top-20 name, if they decide to move him.
The Marlins are not acting like a team that has completely emptied the cupboard at the deadline. Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez are not available, and catcher Joe Mack is basically off limits too, with Max Meyer likely not far behind him.
After that, though, Miami seems willing to listen on just about anyone, including Lopez, Edwards and catcher/designated hitter Liam Hicks. President of baseball ops Peter Bendix will set a high bar on any of those controllable pieces, and Lopez looks like a particularly long shot to be moved.
For Boston, that likely means the search continues elsewhere. The Red Sox have reportedly been looking for help at shortstop and behind the plate, and their willingness to move Jarren Duran suggests they’re open to changes in the outfield as well. They already added a right-handed bat by sending left-hander Connelly Early to Washington for Curtis Mead, but Mead fractured his wrist in his Red Sox debut and now faces a lengthy absence.
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