Even though he should be fine, Curtis Mead's early exit during his Boston Red Sox debut proved one thing: they still need some reinforcements in the infield. We don't know if Marcelo Mayer is coming back this year. Or Trevor Story. And even if they do, fans don't have many reasons to believe they're actually going to contribute at a high level (they both struggled at the plate before their injuries).
Players like Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio, and Romy Gonzalez are fine, but would you trust them at the plate in October? Because I wouldn't.
There's a reason the Red Sox traded for Mead. They needed a right-handed power bat (they rank 29th in total home runs this season), and they needed a new second baseman. If the Australian native's exit signaled something bigger, then Boston would have been right back to square one.
They need to make another move ahead of the trade deadline to further bolster their infield.
The Red Sox need to make another trade for an infielder
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Red Sox are in the market for a shortstop after trading for Mead.
"The Red Sox have been searching for a shortstop, in a market notably thin in shortstops," Olney wrote on X.
Boston just promoted Franklian Arias to Triple-A, but it still seems like a stretch to think he could make his big-league debut this year. And, even if he does, he's not likely to contribute right away.
There have been multiple shortstops linked to the Red Sox at this point: Jeremy Peña of the Houston Astros, Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels, and CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals. It would likely take a lot for Boston to land any of them, but at this point, they at least need to gauge the market and see if they can strike a deal.
The Red Sox are still well-equipped for a playoff push
Trading for another infielder would just be the cherry on top for the Red Sox at this point. Their team is already good enough to compete.
Boston is 18-3 in July (including a near franchise-record 15-game winning streak), and with a 55-50 record, it owns the second spot in the AL Wild Card (just 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the first spot).
The Red Sox already had an elite pitching staff, and now that their bats are coming to life, they are in a good spot to contend. But if they can make another big move ahead of the trade deadline, that should help move the needle a little more in their favor.
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