Marcelo Mayer Fallout After Red Sox-Isiah Kiner-Falefa Deal

The Boston Red Sox found an infielder on Wednesday night.

Oct 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) hits a single against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning during game seven of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It appears as though the Boston Red Sox may be done in the infield.

Boston entered the offseason talking about a need to add significant power to the organization. If the Red Sox are done adding, that will be the one thing they did not accomplish. The Red Sox added Willson Contreras, who very well could go out and hit 20-plus homers. But with Alex Bregman out the door, Contreras' production essentially will replace the third baseman. Boston didn't add another bat on top.

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After months of rumors, the Red Sox struck in the infield on Wednesday by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news of the deal when it got done and MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo was the first to report the deal was close.

The Red Sox added an infielder

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) runs to first base after hitting a single during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

So, what does the infield look like now? Contreras is planted at first base and Trevor Story is at shortstop. Second base and third base are more up in the air with Marcelo Mayer, Romy González, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard as other options on the roster. Cotillo broke down the infield after the deal got done and noted that Mayer and Kiner-Falefa will both be in the mix for both second base and third base, along with the other internal options.

"He saw the bulk of his time at shortstop (817 innings) while also playing third base (211.2 innings) and second (26.1 innings)," Cotillo wrote. "The Red Sox currently have openings at both third base and second base with Alex Bregman having departed for the Cubs. It’s expected Kiner-Falefa and Marcelo Mayer will be in the mix for those two spots along with other internal options like Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard.

"Primarily a shortstop throughout his career, Kiner-Falefa has logged at least 40 major league innings at eight positions, including all three outfield spots and catcher (with Texas in 2018 and 2019)."

So, it still appears as though nothing is finalized, but the Red Sox have their options. It would be surprising to see another big addition at this point. Reports surfaced indicating that the Red Sox would prefer to play Mayer at third base, but with Cotillo noting that second base and third base are up in the air, it sounds like it isn't a guarantee.

Kiner-Falefa brings very good defense and can get on base well, but he doesn't have power. He has just 36 homers in 918 career games.

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