Red Sox trade pitch sends top lefty SP prospect to Nationals for All-Star infielder

This offseason, following the loss of Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency, the Boston Red Sox were scrambling to find a solution to their infield.

While they would end up trading for Caleb Durbin and sticking with Marcelo Mayer at second base, the Red Sox could still look to upgrade at that spot during the 2026 season.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller proposed a trade that would help resolve that infield issue for Boston. This pitch would send top lefty pitching prospect Connelly Early and a few other prospects to land an All-Star from the Washington Nationals in CJ Abrams.

Red Sox trade pitch sends Early for CJ Abrams

"The Trade: Washington Nationals send SS CJ Abrams to Boston Red Sox for LHP Connelly Early, LHP Jake Bennett, and SS Hector Ramos," Miller pitched.

This is an incredibly aggressive trade for the Red Sox, as it would make one of the infielders in Boston, whether it's Durbin, Mayer, or current shortstop Trevor Story, out of a job.

While the exact fit with Abrams in Boston would be a big question with such a deal, adding someone like Abrams would make a lot of sense in a vacuum.

He's a solid player, being an All-Star last season, and reaching at least 3.4 bWAR in each of the last three seasons.

More: Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman

Abrams, in the last three years, has 57 home runs, 109 stolen bases, 92 doubles, a .249 batting average, a .736 OPS, and a 105 OPS+. He's slightly above-average at the plate and is coming off his best season in 2025, when he had a 111 OPS+.

While the idea of adding Abrams makes some sense, the fit would be tricky. He could move to second base, where he might find more success defensively than he did at shortstop. But there's not a clear fit for Abrams right away.

This is an interesting trade pitch from Miller, as the Red Sox would be giving up on Early to land an infielder who isn't significantly better than Mayer or Durbin. At least, not better enough to justify moving on from what could be a core lefty starter for years to come.

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