The Red Sox have spent much of the season fighting the same old storyline, but the last two weeks have started to push back against it. Boston has won nine of its last 11 games and suddenly looks like a team that can hang around the American League Wild Card race, not just watch it from a distance.
That turnaround has come from the formula the front office built in the first place: pitching and defense. The rotation has been giving Boston a chance almost every night, and the offense has finally stopped dragging the whole operation down.
It still needs more punch, especially from the right side, but it’s no longer performing like the worst lineup in baseball. Over the last 15 days, the Red Sox are 10th in the league in runs scored with 64.
For the season, though, they’re still 28th with 365 runs in 89 games played.
That’s why the trade deadline conversation points so clearly toward Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. Boston is 41-48 and four games back in the Wild Card picture, and it has already climbed past teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Athletics, and Kansas City Royals in the race. The next step is obvious: add a bat that changes the shape of the lineup.
The most obvious places to help are in the middle infield, with catcher also mentioned as a possible area. An outfielder or corner infielder would be a surprise.
Anthony Seigler has earned more time at second base, and if Boston were to land a second baseman instead, the club could shift Seigler to shortstop. But if Abrams is available, he fits the cleanest.
He would let Seigler stay put at second, take over shortstop himself, and give the Red Sox a much-needed jolt without forcing a chain reaction.
There’s also the bigger roster picture. Trevor Story is expected to get healthy eventually, and when that happens Boston could use him at second base or designated hitter.
Marcelo Mayer could also factor at second base once he’s healthy. That kind of flexibility matters, but the immediate issue is power.
Boston has just 80 home runs, which puts it last in baseball. Twenty of those belong to Willson Contreras.
Jarren Duran is next with 13, and Wilyer Abreu is the only other player on the roster in double figures with 10. That’s a thin margin for error, even with the recent surge.
Abrams would bring a very different profile. He has 19 home runs in 89 games and is on pace for more than 30.
He’s 25 years old, under team control for two more seasons, and is hitting .276/.354/.509 with an .864 OPS. Add in 65 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 16 doubles and 55 runs scored, and you’re looking at the kind of player worth paying a premium for.
He’s also the kind of player Boston could envision as part of a longer-term core. An infield built around Abrams and Mayer in the middle, Contreras at first base and Caleb Durbin at second base has real upside. Story could still be part of the mix as a DH and occasional second baseman, while the future in the outfield would center on Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Abrams has been in trade conversations since the offseason, but a move this summer may not be likely because the Nationals have been better than expected. Even so, ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel ranked him as the No. 6 overall potential trade chip in baseball and gave him a 15 percent chance of being dealt. If Boston wants the move that can shift this team from interesting to dangerous, Abrams is the name to chase.
In Other News...
Nationals Suddenly Face A Trade Dilemma That Could Define Their Season
The Nationals have spent most of the summer trying to prove their record is no fluke, and at 47-45 they are still squarely in the postseason picture. That makes Foster Griffin one of the more interesting names on their roster right now, because the left-hander has quietly turned in a strong season with a 2.87 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 18 starts, enough production to draw attention beyond Washington.
MLB insider Robert Murray reports the interest in Griffin is expected to be plenty, which puts the Nationals in a familiar but tricky spot for a team trying to move forward without giving up too much ground. For a club that has already spent months climbing into contention, the question around Griffin is not just about what he has done so far, but what Washington is willing to risk if the market keeps building before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Former Royals Arm Is Suddenly Raising A Familiar Question Again
Foster Griffin has quietly given the Nationals a stretch of steady work, and it comes at a time when clubs are always looking for left-handed pitching depth that can travel well into October. The former Royals arm has leaned on a seven-pitch mix this season, added a sinker, and shown enough consistency to keep his name in the conversation as a useful bullpen piece.
The control issues have not disappeared, but his recent run has been hard to ignore. Over his last four appearances, Griffin has put up a 0.95 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 28.1 innings despite 10 walks, and his overall line for Washington remains solid at 2.87 ERA with a 4.27 FIP and 1.04 WHIP. He also brings recent experience from Japan, where he worked from 2023 to 2025, and that background only adds to the appeal for a contender weighing whether he might fit a late-season bullpen puzzle. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Abrams Deadline Tension Just Got Real For Nationals Fans
CJ Abrams has spent the summer carrying the pressure that comes with being a two-time All-Star and the Nationals starting shortstop, and lately that burden has only grown heavier. His recent struggles at the plate have put him back in the trade-rumor conversation ahead of the deadline, even as Washington keeps pushing in the postseason race and needs its young core to stay steady.
Abrams has been trying to keep the outside noise from taking over, using meditation to stay centered while the speculation around him keeps building. He gave the Nationals a jolt with a key three-run homer against the Astros, a reminder of how quickly his bat can change a game, but the larger question hanging over him and the club is whether Washingtons surprising run changes the way the front office views his future. [Read more 🡒]