The Boston Red Sox need to start playing better baseball quickly if they want to make a postseason push. They have a hole at first base, and could fill it with a trade.
The Red Sox came into the season with high hopes for Triston Casas. However, he was not playing at his best and ended up suffering a season-ending knee injury. Now the Red Sox are in fourth place in the American League East and sliding back in the Wild Card race as well. The team can still kick things into gear, but may need to swing a trade for a stable first baseman to do so.
There may not be many first basemen available at the deadline, but the Red Sox could get Rhys Hoskins from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers may not be sellers at the deadline, but they are a team that has not shied away from trading players before they start to weigh on their squad financially. FanSided's Tremayne Person predicted the Red Sox would trade for Hoskins at the deadline.
"He’s a proven right-handed bat with postseason experience, and his contract structure makes him an intriguing deadline target," wrote Person. "If Boston is willing to absorb the remainder of his salary and send Milwaukee a package of cost-controlled players with upside, this could be a classic win-win — the kind of long-term value trade Brewers GM Matt Arnold has mastered in recent years.
"Hoskins would give the Red Sox a legitimate power presence for the playoff push, with the added bonus of a mutual option for 2026 if things click. Whether Boston views him as a stopgap or something more, this deal has the potential to be one of the more impactful moves of the deadline."
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Hoskins signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the Brewers before last season. He had an $18 million player option for this year and has a $18 million mutual option for next season. The Brewers may not be looking to pick up his option, despite how Hoskins has played this season.
Hoskins had a down year last season, after missing all of 2023 with an ACL tear. Now he is slashing .256/.348/.427 with nine home runs. Even in what was a down season, Hoskins managed to hit 26 home runs. Hoskins is slumping at the plate right now, hitting just .133 since the calendar flipped to June. However, he was hitting .276 with an OPS of .849 through May.
Hoskins will break out of his slump and could yield the Brewers some talented young players. The Brewers look to be in the postseason mix and will not have a fire sale. However, trading Hoskins would be a move that mirrors their trades of Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader and Devin Williams. They are generally not a team that spends money, but stays competitive. The Red Sox could be the beneficiary of that and land Hoskins for a postseason push.
In order for the Red Sox to make any additions at the deadline, the team will have to start playing better. The only way Craig Breslow is going to part with any assets is if the team has a legitimate chance at making a postseason run. The team is currently 3 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
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