Red Sox Mock Trade Lands Cubs' Nico Hoerner For 23-Year-Old Rising Star

There's hardly any silver lining to the Boston Red Sox losing Alex Bregman, but they at least need to adapt to the situation at hand.

Because the Chicago Cubs nabbed Bregman, second baseman Nico Hoerner is a candidate to be traded. There's no evidence yet that the Cubs are seriously considering it, but teams have at least begun calling, as ESPN's Jeff Passan reported specific interest from the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

Hoerner, who is just a year away from free agency, is a Gold Glover at a position the Red Sox have struggled to fill since Dustin Pedroia's heyday. Is there a chance still that they swing a trade to land him from Chicago?

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

Bleacher Report proposes Hoerner to Boston deal

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter proposed that the Red Sox could try to land Hoerner by sending 23-year-old rookie pitcher Connelly Early to Chicago in a one-for-one swap.

"A reunion with Alex Bregman was long viewed as a foregone conclusion, and with that now off the table after he signed with the Cubs, it's time to pivot," wrote Reuter.

"Bo Bichette to play second or Eugenio Suárez to play third are potential free agency plays, but Nico Hoerner would give them an elite defensive second baseman and table-setting offensive player to slot near the top of the batting order. Connelly Early is a steep price to pay for a free-agent-to-be, but Hoerner is also coming off a 6.2-WAR season."

Hoerner, 28, doesn't have the home run power the Red Sox crave, having only hit seven long balls this past season. He'd help Boston cut down on strikeouts, though, and his defense is nothing short of elite. Still, there are serious flaws in the logic here.

If the Red Sox were boldly making other moves to open up their championship window, we'd be all for going all-in with Hoerner. But without that big power bat to speak of, Boston wouldn't likely rank high among the betting favorites for a pennant this year, and it's not worth giving up a potential star in Early if the odds of it paying off in a championship are still relatively low.

There's also a paradox in all of this talk, because the Red Sox, whose goal is sustainability, would essentially be giving up Early to find their Bregman replacement. Bregman and Early were teammates in September, and refusing to spend on one of them would effectively cost them the other.

More MLB: Phillies-Bo Bichette Update Shows Red Sox Fighting Uphill Battle