It was reported within the past 24 hours that the Boston Red Sox agreed to deals with shortstop Hanley Ramirez and third baseman Pablo Sandoval, which could indicate more roster moves.
Sandoval is guaranteed to play third base, but as of right now it's unclear where Ramirez will play. His defense at shortstop has been declining in recent years and the Red Sox have 22-year-old Xander Bogaerts at the position. Ramirez said he would be open to a position change, which could mean a move to the outfield.
Does this mean the team will trade Yoenis Cespedes? This has been speculated for quite some time now because of a report that mentioned Cespedes' poor relationship with the team's coaching staff. The Red Sox also added Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo in August and acquired Allen Craig in a trade with the Cardinals prior to the deadline. Throw in Shane Victorino, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. and you've got yourself a logjam.
Cespedes' $10.5 million salary for 2015 makes him an attractive trade target, but he'll also be a free agent when the year ends. There are a number of teams in need of a power-hitting outfielder (see: Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, etc.), but unless one of these suitors can work out an extension with Cespedes if a trade were to occur, it's unlikely the Red Sox get what they want in return for him. Nonetheless, Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston writes:
"The signing of Ramirez to play the outfield would suggest the Sox are making plans to trade an outfielder, with Cespedes, who is a year from free agency, a leading candidate."
This only increases speculation between a potential deal between the Red Sox and the Phillies. Boston has been linked to trade talks for left-hander Cole Hamels, for which Philadelphia wants three top prospects in return. But over the past few months no team has even considered giving away that much top talent to inherit a four-year, $96 million contract for a soon-to-be 31-year-old.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted earlier today that the two sides are still having serious talks regarding Hamels. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have a deep farm system, have also joined in on the pursuit of Hamels, which makes things interesting. Nightengale wonders if Boston would package Betts and prospect catcher Blake Swihart in a deal for Hamels, which could take others out of the running.
But what about Cespedes? As Philadelphia looks to trade Marlon Byrd (which they think they can easily do), acquiring Cespedes would give them an everyday power-hitting right fielder and they can work to sign him to an extension. They can request one or two prospects to be included in the deal as well, which would be much more appealing to Boston than surrendering their top three.
Talks regarding Hamels could heat up even more if Jon Lester opts to turn down the Red Sox and sign elsewhere. But as of right now, the Red Sox have a lot of trade pieces and should get value elsewhere for them.
