Red Sox's Isiah Kiner-Falefa Signing Leads to Outfield Trade Update

The Boston Red Sox are in an intriguing place with the offseason winding down.

It has been a long offseason and while the Red Sox very well could be in a better place overall than they were at the end of the 2025 season, it still feels incomplete. After an elusive and exhaustive search for an infielder over the last few months, Boston agreed to terms on a deal with veteran utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa on Wednesday night.

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

With the way the roster is currently constructed, it would make sense for him to be the final addition. Willson Contreras and Triston Casas will have first base covered. Kiner-Falefa and Marcelo Mayer can handle second and third base with Romy González and David Hamilton as other options. Trevor Story is the team's shortstop. Catcher appears to be in a good place with Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong. And then, of course, the outfield is loaded to the point that there is surplus. Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and then Masataka Yoshida. Plus, Kristian Campbell has been working in the outfield.

The Red Sox are in an interesting spot

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) runs to first base after hitting a single during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It's hard to see space for more, but The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey noted that the team is still looking for more offense overall. Also, McCaffrey reported that teams have continued to call about Boston's outfielders, but the club has a "high bar" for a deal.

"With a young, dynamic team, the Red Sox have leaned into their athleticism over the past year and Kiner-Falefa fits that mold in some ways, having stolen 15 bases last season on 19 attempts," McCaffrey wrote. "Over 138 games for Pittsburgh and Toronto, he hit .262 with 21 doubles, a .631 OPS. Meanwhile, as the club continues to seek more offense overall, The Athletic reported on Wednesday the Red Sox have been inquiring about right-handed hitting outfielders. Among Boston’s four outfielders Ceddanne Rafaela is the only right-handed hitter with Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all hitting lefty.

"A team source noted that while the Red Sox have still received inquiries on their four outfielders, they’re holding a high bar in any potential deal. With that in mind, any outfield addition would likely supplement the existing group like Rob Refsnyder did in recent years."

At this point, it's hard to imagine a deal getting done with one of the outfielders. The rotation is loaded to the point where a handful of guys, including Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison don't have a clear path to big league innings. If the right pitcher came along, a deal could make sense, but there just aren't many options available.

On the infield front, the Red Sox just added Kiner-Falefa. Trading for someone like Nico Hoerner or Isaac Paredes really doesn't make much sense any longer. The fact that the Red Sox have a "high bar" for an outfielder trade should be viewed as a positive and at this point it would be surprising to see any go. Plus, the fact that McCaffrey said the team has gotten inquiries on all four outfielders is interesting. If that means that teams asked about Anthony, hopefully Craig Breslow laughed them off the phone.

More MLB: Red Sox Insider Teases More to Come After Isiah Kiner-Falefa