Red Sox's 3 Best Right-Handed Bat Trade Targets This Deadline

Suddenly buyers with authority

Jul 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) celebrates his solo home run in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's no longer much doubt about whether the Boston Red Sox will sell at the trade deadline in two weeks, but how much will they buy?

With an active 13-game winning streak entering Monday, the Red Sox have no excuse to shy away from competing in the weakest American League we've seen in our lifetimes. If the rival New York Yankees don't get Aaron Judge back until September or later, there's not a team guaranteed to be better than these Red Sox on paper -- especially if they add.

To that end, we know the Red Sox lack a bit of right-handed thump in the lineup beyond Willson Contreras at first base, so we've come up with a list of three prospective trade targets, all with some degree of realism, that would fit the Sox's exact needs.

Hunter Goodman - Colorado Rockies C

Jul 12, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A thirty-homer catcher through 92 games is everything the Red Sox wish they had, and there's enough buzz about the potential of Goodman being traded away from the always-awful Rockies that we have to at least assume the Red Sox will inquire.

The question here is whether Goodman is a dream target or a pipe dream. He's not a free agent until after the 2029 season, so the Rockies have the upper hand in negotiations.

Zach Neto - Los Angeles Angels SS

We discussed Neto at length on Red Sox on SI on Saturday. He's one of the best offensive shortstops in the sport and would be on the team for 3 1/2 years. It's more of a question of whether the Red Sox are willing to commit to him for a big package of prospects when Marcelo Mayer and Franklin Arias are both in the picture.

Tyler Stephenson - Cincinnati Reds C

Jul 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) celebrates his two run home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maybe we're getting overly excited about the two home runs Stephenson hit against Goodman's Rockies on Sunday, but if the Sox are trying to do something similar to the Danny Jansen move from two years ago, this seems like a decent fit. Perhaps even better than, say, Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins.

In reality, while we'd love to say the Red Sox should get someone like Jeremy Peña or Francisco Lindor to fill out the lineup, they'll probably end up with someone making more of a Stephenson-like impact. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.