We had some fun with the ridiculousness that is the Winter Meetings rumor mill this morning, but we do in fact have credible reporting that the Red Sox have engaged in trade talks involving at least four former all-stars: Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, and Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan. Of course “talks” could mean anything from “here’s our starting offer” to “hey, you wanna give us Ketel Marte? No? Ok, ttyl,” so you don’t need to much stock into potential trade scenarios now. (Tim Healey, Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
In fact, MLB insider Jon Heyman recently cited the Red Sox as the most active team on the market: “They’re going to end up with either Bregman, Bichette or Marte. Plus, they might get Alonso. They’ve talked about Okamoto, they’ve talked about Polanco. I think they’re going to get two bats.” (Sean T. McGuire, NESN)
You may have noticed, though, that Heyman didn’t mention Joe Ryan’s name. That’s because, by all accounts, Craig Breslow has pulled back in his pursuit of a trade for the Twins pitcher. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
As for the free agent market, the two names to focus on haven’t changed since the start of the offseason: Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso. How possible/likely is that the Sox land both sluggers instead of one or the other? (Pete Abraham, Boston Globe)
While we haven’t heard much about the Alex Bregman pursuit lately, his agent, Scott Boras, says that “dialogue continues” between the Sox and the free agent third baseman. When asked specifically about the Red Sox pursuit of Pete Alonso, he was a little more vague: “We’ve had discussions that (involve) six or seven players. Boston and their ownership has made it clear to us that they want to add and improve beyond what their roster was last year.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Alex Cora says he’s had plenty of dialogue with Alex Bregman, too. Though, if he’s to be believed, it’s entirely about personal stuff and they don’t actually discuss free agency. (Chistopher Smith, MassLive)
Cora talked a bit about Wilyer Abreu, too. And if you’re one of those fans who rolled their eyes every time the lineup was announced and Abreu wasn’t in it because the Sox were facing a lefty, here’s some good news for you: “With Willy and some of the lefties, we have to see if they can do it. It’s about that time, especially with Abreu. If he can hit lefties and hit for power and play defense the way he’s done the last few years, he can be the guy.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
