Red Sox turn to Nationals as shortstop search heats up

The Red Sox have a shortstop problem, and it's not exactly a secret anymore. Trevor Story, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and top prospect Marcelo Mayer have all cycled through the position this season without anyone locking it down, between injuries and underperformance, and Boston's front office has apparently seen enough. With the August 3 deadline closing in, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has made it clear the team wants an upgrade at short before it's too late.

MLB Trade Rumors put a name on the search Monday night, confirming what beat writers had been hinting at for days: the Red Sox are actively shopping the shortstop market.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Red Sox Exploring Shortstop Market t.co/kgpvtq8IhU

That report lines up with what Ken Rosenthal laid out on his Fair Territory podcast, where a possible Red Sox-Nationals trade was one of several deadline threads he touched on alongside Tarik Skubal chatter, the Astros' push and more.

Ken Rosenthal

@Ken_Rosenthal

Fair Territory! *Skubal *Red Sox-Nats trade *Astros’ push *Hunter Goodman *What Orioles, Cardinals, Marlins, Pirates and Mets should do *Thoughts on Padres, Twins, DBacks, more YouTube: t.co/XnZyzkOFeR Apple: t.co/kMA6DiM6cX Spotify: t.co/UQwvqMcofZ

The Washington connection isn't coming out of nowhere. Boston already made a move with the Nationals this past weekend, sending pitcher Connelly Early to Washington for infielder Curtis Mead, and that relationship could grease the wheels for something bigger: Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. Bob Nightengale has reported Boston has its eyes on Abrams as the Red Sox look to be aggressive buyers, though the industry expectation is still that Washington holds onto him unless the offer is overwhelming.

The other name in the mix is Angels shortstop Zach Neto, who's on pace for his third straight 20-homer season, but he's controllable for 3 more years, meaning the Angels have little reason to move him without a package built around a real prospect like Franklin Arias. Miami's Otto Lopez has also come up in conversations, per reporting, which tells you how thin this shortstop market actually is heading into the deadline.

None of this guarantees Boston lands Abrams or anyone else specifically, but the direction is now unmistakable. The Red Sox are buyers, the middle infield is the priority, and the Nationals just went from a trade partner to the team's most logical target with days left on the clock.