Red Sox Insider Hints At Spring Training Blockbuster With Cubs

With spring training on the horizon, the Boston Red Sox are still missing a crucial piece.

Because they lost Alex Bregman in free agency to the Chicago Cubs, the Red Sox have only three true starting infielders. A trade has long seemed like the most realistic avenue to a fourth, but all the trade candidates on the market at the moment are tough sells.

Still, one Red Sox insider, Ian Browne of MLB.com, foresees a big acquisition before opening day.

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Will Red Sox swing trade with infield-rich Cubs?

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

Browne even bookmarked the Cubs as the top team to watch for a trade, since bringing in Bregman left them with an extra infielder. Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner is entering his walk year, while 23-year-old Matt Shaw was displaced by Bregman at third base.

"The Red Sox have a recent history of making key acquisitions once Spring Training has already started. And barring something unexpected over these next few days leading into the opening of camp, that should again be the case," Browne wrote on Tuesday.

"Two names that continue to come up both play for the Cubs in Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw. The reason Breslow might be able to pry one of them loose is the fact Bregman chose the Cubs over the Red Sox. Stay tuned."

Certainly, Browne's report implying that the Red Sox and Cubs are still in discussions is worth keeping front of mind. That said, it feels as though the insider is missing a crucial distinction between those Red Sox acquisitions and a potential blockbuster trade.

J.D. Martinez, Trevor Story, and Bregman all signed with the Red Sox as free agents in spring training. That's a much, much easier task to accomplish than trading for a guy who has already been working out and potentially playing in games with his teammates in camp.

Would the Cubs really disrupt camp so drastically by shipping Shaw or Hoerner across the country from Arizona to Florida? The Red Sox would truly have to force their hand with a phenomenal package, one would think.

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