Report: Red Sox, Mets have spoken about first baseman Dominic Smith originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
With the MLB trade deadline less than two weeks away, we have rumblings of potential activity from the Boston Red Sox.
The New York Mets have “engaged” the Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and other teams about a trade involving their first baseman, Dominic Smith, FanSided’s Robert Murray reported Wednesday.
The Red Sox could use some help at first base, as the duo of Bobby Dalbec (.205 batting average, seven home runs, 79 strikeouts) and Franchy Cordero (.225 average, four home runs, 70 strikeouts) has struggled mightily this season. Highly-touted prospect Triston Casas just began a rehab assignment after missing about two months due to an ankle injury, so it’s unclear if he could help Boston at the big-league level this season.
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Smith doesn’t seem like much of an upgrade at first base based on his current stats, however: The 27-year-old is hitting just .194 with zero home runs and 17 RBIs through 58 games this season and was demoted to Triple-A in early June before returning to the big-league club later in the month.
Still, Smith is a former first-round draft pick who hit .313 for New York during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, so perhaps the Red Sox are considering him as a buy-low candidate who could turn his season around with a new team.
Boston exits the All-Star break two games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League, so the team may need to make a significant upgrade or two if it wants to compete in the postseason.