Weekly Roundup: Red Sox Trade Rumors - Darvish, Hamilton, Smith
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Contributing Writer
Another week, more trade rumors surrounding our beloved Red Sox. Just a quick side note: I won't be talking about outfielders as much in this one. I may touch on it briefly, but if you want the latest on that, read Eric Schabell's piece on that from earlier this week. Without further ado, here's the latest from our beloved Sox.
Yu Darvish: This would be a surprise, to be sure, but it's not entirely insane, according to Over the Monster. Right now, he's signed with the Texas Rangers through the 2017 season, but 2017 would become a player option if he wins the Cy Young before then. Think about it - if he's coming off a Cy Young in 2016, no way he picks up that 2017 option and teams are starting to realize that they can get max value for guys that have multiple years left on their contract, so the Rangers could be looking to deal him. The Rangers don't have a lot of youth on their team, so they could be looking to deal Yu Darvish and get young talent in return. Young talent is something the Red Sox plenty of, so it's plausible, however unlikely, that the Sox and Rangers work something out.
Josh Hamilton: True, he's had his issues on and off the field, not to mention the enormus salary he'd bring, but the Red Sox need another bat because David Ortiz doesn't have many more years left. And the Latin Post believes that he might fit in with the Sox system. And the Latin Post is also right about another thing: the Sox need another bat, and if he does fit in, the Sox would be getting one of the best pure hitters in the game, a much needed addition.
Seth Smith: Smith is having a very underrated season with the San Diego Padres, and both the Latin Post and Bleacher Report mention him as a possible target for the Red Sox. According to Bleacher Report, Smith is hitting at a .286 clip and a .396 OPS, and his .519 slugging percentage is higher than David Ortiz's .478. His 8 home runs would place him 3rd on the Sox behind Ortiz (17) and Mike Napoli (9).
Other players the Red Sox could target include David Price, Dexter Fowler, Jeff Samarzdija, and Alex Gordon. All of those guys could help the Red Sox in one way or another - obviously, the pitching has struggled this year, which is where Price and Samarzdija could help, although I'm not sure how Price would affect the chemistry in the locker room given his history with the Sox. The Sox also need help offensively, which is where someone like Alex Gordon or Dexter Fowler could help.
Thoughts? Leave a comment or let me know on Twitter.
