Red Sox's Division-Rival Slugger Could Emerge As Boston Trade Target: Insider

The peak of the Major League Baseball offseason may be arriving in the next couple of days, and the Boston Red Sox desperately need right-handed bats.

With no guarantee that Alex Bregman will return in free agency, one can safely bet that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is exploring all options to bring in righty thump. And sometimes, to predict what might happen in the offseason, it helps to recall prior conversations.

Evidently, as one insider recently explained, the Red Sox were all over a division rival's righty power bat at the trade deadline, which could absolutely signal that Boston will try hard once again to pry that player loose.

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Could Red Sox swing trade for Rays star?

During the most recent episode of the "Fenway Rundown" podcast, Chris Cotillo of MassLive discussed Boston's pursuit of Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz at the trade deadline and wondered aloud if the former batting champion would emerge again as a target.

"The guy that, I know there were people in the organization that loved at the trade deadline, and can assume that love hasn't gone away in the last five months is Yandy Díaz of Tampa," Cotillo said. "It's a different situation because he's a guy that's got one year left. But that's the type of guy that the Rays trade, getting expensive.

"In July, I said to somebody with the Red Sox, 'What do you guys need?' And someone said, 'Yandy Díaz.' You know? Like, 'That's the guy we need right now on the team.'"

Díaz is a subpar defender at first base who turns 35 in August, but he's coming off a season with a 136 OPS+, which would have led the Red Sox among qualified batters. He is making $12 million this year and has a conditional club option for $13 million next year if he reaches 500 plate appearances in the upcoming season.

When the Red Sox were playing a depleted Rays team at the end of the regular season with a playoff berth on the line, it felt like there was no chance Díaz would ever make an out. He owns a career .918 OPS against the Red Sox in 93 games, and his 12 home runs against Boston are the most he has against any opponent as a big-leaguer.

It's always tricky to swing a trade with a division rival, so Red Sox fans can guard their expectations, but be pleasantly not-that-surprised if this speculated deal winds up happening.

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