Former MLB GM Suggests Two Potential Red Sox Trade Targets

The Red Sox need to improve their pitching staff, both the starting rotation and the bullpen.

But as the July 30 MLB trade deadline approaches, Boston might not only be looking at arms who could assist in their playoff push.

A right-handed bat certainly would help the Red Sox as they embark on the final two months of the regular season. Positional versatility would be a big plus, too, as Alex Cora still is forced to do some daily mixing and matching due to injuries and player struggles.

But who could check those boxes for Boston? Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden identified a pair of potential targets in a column for The Athletic published Tuesday.

“I keep hearing from opposing general managers that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow continues to show interest in acquiring pitching, pitching and pitching,” Bowden wrote. “However, I agree with you that a power right-handed hitter would make some sense and although (Brent) Rooker wouldn’t be an ideal fit with Masataka Yoshida at DH, he would make them better. Josh Bell of the Marlins or Mark Canha of the Tigers could possibly fit.”

The Red Sox are plenty familiar with Bell, as he reportedly drew interest from the club leading up to the 2022 trade deadline. The 31-year-old isn’t having a great season — .228 average entering Wednesday — but that could lower his asking price. Bell’s switch-hitting might appeal to Boston as well as his ability to play first base, where Triston Casas might not return for a while.

Canha, meanwhile, should be made available by a Tigers team that’s going nowhere this season. He hasn’t provided much pop in a while but he’s nonetheless an experienced right-handed hitter who can basically play anywhere on the field. It probably wouldn’t take much for Boston to pluck him from Detroit either.

So, while the Red Sox might not be gearing up for a blockbuster, they could make a move or two that might strengthen their postseason aspirations.