Many names are rumored to be landing in Boston right now. The Red Sox started to gain traction in the division, and are now at an even 48-48 record, tied for a Wild Card spot with the Minnesota Twins. One of the many names swirling around is Houston Astros' shortstop, Jeremy Peña.
Peña was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but actually moved to Providence, Rhode Island, when he was just nine years old. He played at Classical High School before earning a scholarship to UMaine, whereafter the Houston Astros drafted him in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft during his junior year.
Since then, he made his MLB debut at the start of the 2022 season and has never lost his shortstop position since. He won a World Series with the Houston Astros that same year and won a Gold Glove in the process. Not only that, but he was also the first Rhode Islander in history to win a World Series.
But to get him home, CBO Craig Breslow would have to be very calculated in this. Yes, his past trades haven't been as calculated, but if ownership is pushing him to make a big move, Peña should be on his list.
Red Sox can steal Jeremy Peña from Astros
While the Astros may not be selling this year, they're on a bit of a skid, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. If they fall off in the coming weeks, expect Astros' GM Dana Brown to try to sell pieces to bolster their now bottom-10 farm system.
If Brown is going to accept any deal for him, it'll have to help both their farm system and their roster construction. While Peña would be gone, any GM would be willing to make a sacrifice to help retool for next year. After trading Lance McCullers Jr. to free up some space, they can use that new money for the offseason (barring the impending lockout).
They need left-handed outfielders, bullpen help, and, as said before, depth in their farm system. Trading away Jarren Duran would be ideal, but his value isn't the highest it's been. Most likely, Houston wouldn't leave the table without a promising arm for the bullpen, so adding someone like Greg Weissert would pass as a serious piece.
But that won't be enough. They want prospects, so let's add some prospects.
For Houston, they don't have any shortstops that aren't higher than High-A right now. Adding shortstop prospect Mikey Romero, who's in Triple-A and due for a call-up to the majors, would definitely add value in this package. So far, he's hit nine home runs with 11 doubles and 49 RBIs, while recording 68 hits.
One last part of this package has to be the selling point, the one that can solidify this trade. At this point, giving up Anthony Eyanson is too much, given how much of an overpayment that would be. Enddy Azocar, another outfield prospect, could be the more ideal candidate. He's played in both Low-A and High-A this year, and hasn't stopped hitting. He has a slash line of .263/.320/.487 with 13 home runs, 16 doubles, and an .807 OPS. Right now, he's top 10 on most Red Sox farm system rankings, including ours at #8.
TRADE PROPOSAL:
BOS: Jeremy Peña (SS)
HOU: Jarren Duran (OF), Greg Weissert (RHP), Mikey Romero (IF, #7), Enddy Azocar (OF, #8)
If they do ever acquire him, Peña is due a contract extension with his rookie deal expiring after 2027. Now that he'll be due a big-boy deal that offseason, his agent, Scott Boras, will have a bidding war for him. So if the Red Sox want to acquire him, they'll have to extend him, and extend him handsomely.
He previously turned down a five-year, $105 million deal from Houston and even switched to the notable money-hungry Scott Boras in 2025 to gain an edge in negotiations. So far, negotiations about an extension have seemingly been on hold since the change.
Looks like they'd have to open their wallets, but for a hometown kid? That should be the least of their issues.
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