Boston’s middle infield was an absolute revolving door in 2026. This past season, the Red Sox threw six different guys out at shortstop, and honestly, it looked like a mess. Trevor Story, their main man, only managed 62 starts there because injuries kept sidelining him. Talk about a brutal blow to consistency!
The Infield Nightmare That Needs Fixing
When Story wasn’t out there, Boston was patching things up with a rotating cast: Andruw Monasterio, Marcelo Mayer, Tsung-Che Chung, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Nick Sogard all took turns trying to hold down the fort. It’s clear they were just trying to survive. Now, sure, their top prospect, Franklin Arias, is down in Triple-A Worcester, but word on the street is he might not be ready to make a real impact until later in the upcoming season. So, what’s a team to do when your star is hurt and your future isn’t quite here yet? Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller has an idea. Miller believes the Red Sox should seriously target Jeremy Pena from the Houston Astros.
Pena’s Bat Could Be Boston’s Lifeline
Miller’s thinking is Pena could totally be that perfect stopgap guy until Arias, who’s ranked as MLB.com’s No. 2 prospect in baseball, is good to go. The quote from Miller nailed it: “And because they rather expect Arias to be a key piece of the puzzle by no later than 2028, trading for a multi-year solution a la CJ Abrams, Zach Neto or Corey Seager probably isn’t the route they want to go, if they can instead get one year of Peña at a not-too-exorbitant cost.” Essentially, get one year of Pena, let Arias develop, and then make the big move. They could even try to sign Pena to an extension and move him to second base, but let’s be real, the one-year stopgap scenario sounds way more likely.
Pena himself had a killer 2026 season, slashing .277/.325/.477 with 22 bombs and a 122 OPS+ in 112 games. That’s some serious pop! He’s known as one of the most consistent offensive shortstops in the Majors, and his power is exactly what Boston’s lineup desperately needs. Getting him would instantly stabilize that infield and inject some much-needed offense. Of course, this isn’t a one-way street, and the Astros gotta actually be willing to even talk about trading Pena. But if they are, Boston could be looking at a way out of their shortstop nightmare.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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