Red Sox Get Murky Nico Hoerner Update Ahead of Spring Training

Rumors, rumors and more rumors.

That's what's surrounding the Boston Red Sox right now. The offseason is quickly winding down and yet the Red Sox still find themselves seemingly with a hole in the infield. If the season were to begin tomorrow, the Red Sox could enter the campaign with Marcelo Mayer at third base and a platoon of Romy González and David Hamilton at second base. Kristian Campbell is with the team, but MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo threw cold water on the idea of him playing second base to kick off the 2026 season.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

With the way the Red Sox talked about needing offense early in the offseason, it would make it seem like one more bat is a necessity, but the issue at this point is that there aren't many options left. For example, Brendan Donovan, a popular name on the trade block linked to Boston, landed with the Seattle Mariners on Monday. In the aftermath, while discussing where things stand with Boston, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal dropped a nugget and insinuated that the Chicago Cubs don't want to trade Nico Hoerner, who has been another popular trade candidate linked to Boston.

The Red Sox have a hole still

Oct 6, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) looks on before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

"They need an infielder," Rosenthal said. "And preferably a right-handed hitter. Donovan was not actually a great fit for them in that respect. He's a left-handed hitter. But the roster that they have is largely left-handed, so ideally, it's a right-handed guy to play second base so [Marcelo Mayer] can play third. Whether they accomplish that or not, I am not sure they will be able to. It's getting late in the offseason and the options are dwindling.

"If you want Nico Hoerner from the Cubs, you'd better be prepared to give up an awful lot. The Cubs do not want to trade him. I don't know exactly where this is going with them. Clearly, though, they need that additional bat. That one more offensive piece. The guy who would've been perfect was Ketel Marte. But Ketel Marte, as the Diamondbacks stand right now is not getting traded."

So, for the Red Sox who else is there? There aren't too many options. If the Red Sox are focused on defense, a few options available in free agency are Jose Iglesias and Ramón Urías. Outside of Hoerner, the Red Sox have been linked to Matt Shaw and Isaac Paredes. There aren't many options at this point and with each passing day, we're getting closer to a Hamilton/González platoon.

More MLB: Red Sox Outside-the-Box Defense-First Infield Solution