Red Sox Far From Striking Ketel Marte Blockbuster Deal

The Boston Red Sox's infield is under a significant microscope right now with no sign of an end in sight.

Boston's offseason has quickly spiraled from aggressive and successful, to nerve-wracking real quick. Now, that's the nature of the business. At any moment, one notification could pop up to completely change the vibe of the fanbase -- in a positive or negative way. If Alex Bregman were to re-sign with the Red Sox, that would immediately change the perception of the offseason. But baseball is a business of recency bias.

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The Red Sox did a good job getting Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, but that was a few weeks ago at this point. Everyone is always looking for what's next and Boston has done nothing in free agency of substance. You can pursue and be linked to big-name players all you want, but Boston hasn't made the necessary splashes yet to bolster the offense.

The Red Sox need to improve the middle of the order

Boston's misses on Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber are amplified by the fact that the club was so open about adding big bats. Now, Boston needs to get moving. Bregman is the top available free agent that would fit the Red Sox. Recently, Ketel Marte has been linked to the club in the trade market. He would be a good secondary option -- or negotiating tool -- but WEEI's Rob Bradford reported that the Red Sox are "not coming close" on the Arizona Diamondbacks' asking price.

"There has not been an offseason roller coaster like this for some time," Bradford wrote. "Take Tuesday, for instance. Multiple teams are interested in Jarren Duran, leading the Red Sox to dig in on their asking price. The Diamondbacks are, indeed, interested in Alex Bregman. Nothing is close regarding a trade of Ketel Marte to the Red Sox. All facts, and all the impetus for more social media chaos. It's understandable. While the Red Sox have made a few notable trades (Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, Jake Bennett), they join the Rockies as the only teams still without a free-agent signing...

"There can, of course, be a pivot if Bregman doesn't work out. Some that the Red Sox could categorize as Plan A-adjacent. Marte would seem to be of that ilk, but, according to sources, the Red Sox are (as the moment these words are being written) not coming close to prying the second baseman away from Arizona."

With roughly two months to go until Spring Training, there obviously is still plenty of time for the Red Sox to make moves. But there are fewer options out the for the Red Sox right now. The rumors are fun, but they don't help the team in the win column.

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