Four Popular Red Sox Trade Targets, According To Fans

We recently asked our forum community about which trade targets they'd like the Red Sox to pursue at the deadline. After many users chimed in with their opinions, here are the players who received the most mentions.

Surprisingly, to top the list, the community leaned into an innings-eater from the Royals.

Seth Lugo, RHP, Kansas City Royals - 6 Mentions

The ultimate kitchen-sink starter, Lugo throws seven, eight or nine pitches, depending on whom you ask and whom you choose to believe. He’s wily. He’s crafty. He is not, however, all that good anymore. Nothing he throws misses bats, and not even the depth of his mix can induce enough freeze-ups for called strikes to get to strikeouts without more whiffs. Nor does he force weak contact especially well. The only skill left in his set is the ability to fill up the strike zone whenever and however he wants. When he walks a batter, it’s usually because he pitched around him. That makes him a viable fifth or sixth starter for a team who needs to get over the finish line and into the postseason, but he can’t be a big part of your plan once you get there—save, perhaps, as a reliever. He’s under contract on expensive terms again next season, though that downside is softened by the upside of a team option for 2028. At this moment, the Royals need to be cashing in anyone with value who isn’t going to actively support Bobby Witt Jr. in seizing the AL Central beginning next season. That means trading Lugo for at least a dice-roll of a young player, plus some salary relief.

Francisco Lindor, SS/3B, New York Mets - 5 Mentions

The logistics of any potential trade sending Lindor to a new home seem untenable. There’s more than $170 million left on his deal after this season. At 32, he’s begun to struggle with injuries and could need to be moved off shortstop soon. Most ominously, for some, his offensive production has nosed down sharply this year. That makes his contract look like an albatross, but the truth is that he’s pretty much the same hitter he’s been for the last few years. He’s run into some bad luck, is all. The Mets might consider moving him if they could save 30-50% of the money they owe him and get a significant prospect return. That’s not impossible—cut that monstrous deal by such a big share, and he’s worth giving up something good for. It seems more likely, though, that Lindor and Juan Soto will simply have to get used to one another.

Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics - 5 Mentions

*sad trombone noise*

Langeliers is likely to miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a torn meniscus.

Hunter Goodman, C, Colorado Rockies - 5 Mentions

Unlike Langeliers, Goodman is capable of taking the field in 2026.

The Rockies will only deal Goodman if they get a haul commensurate with the young slugger’s 40-homer upside. It’s fair to wonder whether they’ll find that much enthusiasm anywhere. Analytics departments and scouts alike wonder about Goodman’s ability to slug the way he does if he didn’t get to call Coors Field home. His splits don’t show any Coors Effect this year; he’s hitting better on the road. But his profile (many strikeouts, few walks, a grip-it-and-rip-it hitting style short on nuance) does make for understandable concerns. He’s a perfectly cromulent catcher, but not a plus as a defender. Whatever layers of concern anyone has, though, the power is huge—and hugely valuable.

Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels - 4 Mentions

Per Jeff Passan, the Angels are "at the very least listening" on Zach Neto, though he put the odds of an actual trade at just 30 percent. The appeal is obvious: Neto is hitting .238/.327/.445 with 19 homers, 13 steals, and 2.7 WAR, tracking toward a third straight 20-20 season, with solid shortstop defense and a 118 OPS+. The price reflects his contract: under club control through 2029 with a $4.15 million salary this season, he's a multiyear answer. The Angels probably keep him; he's one of their few genuine building blocks, but a strong enough offer could entice them to action.

View our top trade candidates list, up to nearly 70 names and updated regularly!