The Red Sox spent last season proving two things at once: they could get hot enough to crash the playoff party, and they still had some obvious holes to patch. If Boston wants to make the next step, shortstop looks like one of the cleanest places to start.
Trevor Story’s future in Boston looks shaky. He’s a free agent this season, and after injuries and inconsistency in all but one of his five years with the Red Sox, it seems unlikely the team will try to keep him.
That opens the door to a new name, and C.J. Abrams of the Nationals fits the kind of offensive upgrade Boston could use.
Abrams just put together a huge season at the plate. The two-time All-Star, who made the 2026 National League team, hit .261/.336/.497 with 33 home runs and 106 RBIs for Washington.
He also added 30 doubles, 4 triples and 93 runs scored. Yes, he struck out 158 times, but he also walked 57 times and swiped 34 bags in 40 tries.
The glove may not be elite, but the bat is loud.
That matters for a Red Sox lineup that too often ran out of answers. Boston got strong starting pitching for much of the year, even with ace Garrett Crochet missing from the roster for the final five months of the season. Sonny Gray and rookie Payton Tolle formed a strong 1-2 punch, and the return of Crochet and Ranger Suarez means the Red Sox should have four good starters in 2027.
The offense was the bigger issue. Outside of power from Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, Boston struggled to create enough thump. A player like Abrams, with the ability to flirt with the 30-30 level, would give the lineup a different shape and make life tougher on opposing pitchers.
Jarren Duran is another name that could end up in the conversation. He’s been a key part of the Red Sox since 2021, became a regular in 2023, and broke out in 2024 as an All-Star.
That season he led the American League with 48 doubles and 14 triples, hit 21 home runs, drove in 75 runs and slashed .285/.342/.492. He also stole 34 bases and won MVP of the All-Star Game after launching the game-winning homer off Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds.
But 2026 was a rough step backward. Duran hit .207/.266/.361 with 15 doubles and 5 triples, though he still managed 20 home runs, 69 RBIs and 20 steals.
He turned 30 in September, so a bounce-back is still possible. Even so, the pressure in Boston has been intense, and he could be a candidate to head to Washington in a deal that brings Abrams to the Red Sox.
In Other News...
Nationals First-Round Bat Could Move Faster Than Fans Expect
Chris Hacopian arrived as the Nationals 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft, and the early read on him is that his bat may move quicker than a typical first-round college hitter. The appeal is obvious: advanced hitting skills, a polished approach, and minor league performance metrics that suggest he can handle the next step without needing a long apprenticeship.
There are still a few boxes to check, though, and Washington is already working on them. The club wants to see more pull-side damage and a little more lift in his batted-ball profile, the kind of adjustments that can turn a good hitter into a major league-ready one. If those changes come along as expected, Hacopian could be in the conversation for a big league debut by early 2028, with even a September 2027 look not out of the question. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Face A Tougher Question In CJ Abrams Pursuit
The Nationals have already spent part of the week reshaping their 40-man roster, designating Mitchell Parker and Jose Tena for assignment as they made room and sorted through the edges of the roster. Those moves were about more than paperwork. They were part of the broader picture in Washington, where every decision now seems tied to the clubs long-term direction and the kind of core it wants to keep in place.
Against that backdrop, the chatter around CJ Abrams has only added another layer of difficulty. The two-time All-Star has drawn reported interest from the Red Sox, according to former GM Jim Bowden, and any possible deal would force Washington to balance immediate value against future flexibility. It is the sort of decision that can shape how a front office is viewed for years, especially when a player like Abrams also carries real weight with the fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Now Face A Big Test After Losing Key Hitting Voice
The Nationals breakout offensive season in 2026 did more than lift the lineup, it also put their hitting infrastructure on the radar. Now the club is losing a key piece of that operation, as the Seattle Mariners have hired Washingtons director of hitting after he spent about a year with the organization. For a team that made clear progress at the plate, it is the kind of departure that can matter well beyond one job title.
Seattle is trying to fix an offense that fell short in 2026, and the move fits a broader effort to reshape that side of the game. The Mariners have also brought back a former minor league hitting coordinator as part of that push, while Washington is left to absorb the loss of a voice that helped guide its recent improvement. For the Nationals, the next question is how much of that momentum can carry over without him. [Read more 🡒]