Which Players Might the Red Sox Shop During the 2026 Season?
April showers bring May flowers, or at least that’s how the saying goes. What about April MLB struggles and a manager firing? That’s the situation for the 2026 Red Sox, and without a convenient or cute rhyme, the jury is still out on what May and the rest of the season will bring. After a week of new management, the same problems for Boston linger. It is not as if the team is devoid of talent; the pieces just have not added up to a winning ball club. With that in mind, it is worth questioning if it is time to trade some players. While desired acquisitions are debatable, perhaps a powerful bat or middle infielder, it is becoming clearer who the team can, and maybe should, deal before the deadline.
Marcelo Mayer
Granted, it is cool to have a starting second baseman who looks like Vincent Chase from Entourage. Additionally, the fact that Marcelo Mayer has been hot at the plate recently, delivering a hit in nine straight games before May 2nd, might be motivation for the sluggish Sox to keep him around. That surge, though, also boosts his trade value, which already was fairly high given his youth and enormous upside potential. He’s one of two homegrown youngsters in Boston's lineup, the other being Roman Anthony. Anthony, thanks to greater flashes of brilliance and a hefty contract extension, seems to be a long-term building block. That leaves the franchise cornerstone as a valuable piece to move, especially in the name of bolstering the infield.
A Young Starter
Speaking of valuable youngsters! In the last year, dating back to summer 2025, three pitchers have made major league debuts for the team and demonstrated real talent. Connelly Early was good enough to be named in the Opening Day five-man rotation and has been one of the better performers on the bump. Payton Tolle was only recently called back up, but the flame-throwing lefty is as good as ever. Newbie Jake Bennett only made his debut on May 1st, but five solid innings were a splendid example of what he might do. All three may be necessary for the moment, as the pitching staff is incredibly banged up, but when things look a little healthier, one of these guys could draw a lot of interest from another team.
Jarren Duran
This one is tricky. Jarren Duran’s stock is not at the high it was earlier in his career, or even in this previous offseason. He has struggled immensely at the plate all 2026, managing a measly .173 batting average. Frankly, this is about the value of having him gone more than it is the value a trade would bring Boston. A departure could free up the outfield logjam and maybe function as part of a larger deal. His contract is only through the end of the season, however, so maybe Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow will just wait it out, as he is wont to do. It’s easy to imagine Breslow not doing anything at all, content with the team's flailing as long as organizational blame does not fall on him. If April showers bring May flowers, does Breslow's firing bring an exciting executive hire? That one will be workshopped; stay tuned.
