Red Sox 'Going Big' At Deadline, Proposed Blockbuster Lands 2 Huge Pieces
The Boston Red Sox are looking for a significant boost for their offense as we approach the trade deadline. Their first gamble on this front, this past week, has fallen flat, as they sent promising young left-handed starter Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead. But Mead will be out for 6-8 weeks after suffering a fractured hand in his very first game with the BoSox.
Their next move could be much bigger, according to insider Jeff Passan. He suggested the Red Sox could be in on such names as Zach Neto, CJ Abrams and Jeremy Peña at short. But he then goes on to propose a one-stop shopping blockbuster that would land them shortstop Otto Lopez AND catcher Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins in one fell swoop.
Boston could kill two birds with one stone and get a Lopez-Liam Hicks package, though with the amount of control for each -- three more years for Lopez, four more for Hicks -- the cost would be painful. Maybe it's Marcelo Mayer and pitching. Or perhaps the Red Sox, knowing that covering two vital positions in one fell swoop is a rare opportunity, center a package on shortstop wunderprospect Franklin Arias, who in his third Triple-A game homered off Chris Bassitt, he of 1,300 big league innings.
Arias is Boston's No. 1 prospect, and No. 7 in all of baseball. That would be a huge leap to take. But with the American League wide open this year, it's a chance that a team that fancies itself as a contender might just have to take.
Lopez is having a career year in 2026, but let's face it, he was never in an organization’s top 10 prospects. In fact, he was DFA'd twice in 2024 before Miami picked him up off waivers. He had two middling seasons for them before this year, showing a bit of power, but had a 90 OPS+ coming into this season. That's 10% worse than the average major league hitter. Yes, he's got a 140 OPS+ in a big breakout year, but he is soon to be 28. And his 15 errors rank among the highest error totals for shortstops.
With no prospect pedigree, is it reasonable to expect this to continue past this season? To be able to turn him around for an elite prospect would be an excellent move by the Fish.
Hicks, in only his second season in the bigs, is having a nice breakout year himself, behind the plate. He has 14 homers and 60 RBIs, while batting .279 with a .793 OPS (124 OPS+).
There are plenty of people around baseball expecting the Red Sox to make a big move for power.
Alex Speier on @NESN yesterday:
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) July 30, 2026
“I think it’s pretty clear that [the Red Sox are] still going to be looking to add more power.”
Would be at either SS or C, mentions Hunter Goodman, Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez pic.twitter.com/fmbHqW8KYy
Overall, regardless of how the talks with the Marlins go, Passan reiterates that the Red Sox “are among the teams likeliest to make a decisive move.”
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