Red Sox 9-Year Veteran Tabbed 'Most Likely' Trade Candidate

What would the Red Sox even get back here?

Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) bats against the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

It legitimately never made sense that the Boston Red Sox gave $6 million to infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Who were they even bidding against? The light-hitting nine-year veteran utility man was on the Toronto Blue Jays for the World Series last season only because he was waived by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's now been in Boston for six weeks and has only started 12 games, batting a cool .205 with no extra-base hits.

With the Red Sox trying to recover from their dastardly start and sitting six games under .500 entering play on Wednesday, an interesting question recently came up: Is there any realistic shot that Kiner-Falefa gets traded this summer?

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Why Kiner-Falefa trade buzz is complicated

Apr 14, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) throws the ball to first base for an out against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named Kiner-Falefa as the Red Sox's "most likely player" to be traded this summer, insinuating correctly that there wouldn't be much of a return from Boston's end.

"As seemed to already be the case when this signing was announced, Boston hasn't had a whole lot of use for this light-hitting utilityman," Miller wrote. "If and when they call Kristian Campbell back up at some point, the Red Sox would have even less use for IKF. They presumably won't be able to get much for him other than a bit of salary relief, but that's not nothing."

To be candid, there's probably no record the Red Sox could achieve that would make trading Kiner-Falefa unreasonable. Even if they're excelling, the role he's playing is so limited that he might be on the outs whenever Romy González comes off the injured list after shoulder surgery.

Where we should probably push back is on the insinuation that Campbell and Kiner-Falefa are somehow interconnected. If the Red Sox called Campbell up to play anything close to the role Kiner-Falefa is in right now, it would be an egregious misuse of his time.

We'll keep our eye on the full scope of the rumor mill this season, as we always do. But if Kiner-Falefa does wind up being dealt for the equivalent of a box of bats, we'll hardly be surprised.