Red Sox rumors: Nap & Vic could be on their way to Pittsburgh
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| AP Photo/Jae C. Hong |
Contriuting Writer
It's been a rough year all around for the Red Sox all around, but 2 players that have particularly stood out in a negative way are Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino. Napoli has slashed .205/.301/.372, with a 25.4 percent strike out rate, good for 9th-worst in the AL, according to MassLive, while Shane Victorino has had his injury problems this year. Both guys are on the Pittsburgh Pirates' radar, though, according to MassLive. Per MassLive, both players would fill a need for the Pirates, who could use a first baseman with Pedro Alvarez struggling, as well as some outfield depth, which Shane Victorino would help with.
Neither player would fetch much in return, given that both players have had their struggles recently, but it seems like a good idea to offload those 2 to give some other guys a chance to show what they can do at a big league level. At first, the Red Sox have Travis Shaw and Allen Craig waiting in the wings, while trading Victorino would help clear space for some of the Red Sox outfielders down in AAA Pawtucket, namely Jackie Bradley, who needs another chance at the big league level, and Rusney Castillo, who the Red Sox gave a big contract to last summer.
Pittsburgh would get 2 good rentals with good playoff experience for their playoff push (2nd in the NL Central, 1st in the Wild Card race), so it would be a win-win for both teams. Will it happen? I don't know, but it seems unlikely that they'll re-sign with Boston in free agency, so if the Red Sox can get something in return, they might as well.
