Boston Red Sox
“Lopez is a contact hitter, which would make him a fit for the sort of player that Craig Breslow has targeted in the past.”
On Monday, ESPN MLB writer Buster Olney noted on X that the Red Sox were still in the market for a shortstop with less than a week to go until MLB’s trade deadline on August 3.
The following day, Olney reported that the Red Sox are kicking the tires on one of the top shortstops in the game in Miami Marlins All-Star Otto Lopez.
“The Boston Red Sox are searching for a shortstop, and one name that has come up in conversations is the Miami Marlins’ Otto Lopez, who was part of the National League All-Star team earlier this month,” Olney wrote on ESPN Tuesday. “‘He’d be a great player for them,’ said one rival executive with knowledge of Boston’s interest.
“Lopez is a contact hitter, which would make him a fit for the sort of player that Craig Breslow has targeted in the past. The 27-year-old leads the majors with a .331 batting average, has 22 steals and is regarded as a positive personality.”
The Red Sox are still on the prowl for another impact bat in their lineup, with that sentiment only growing stronger after new trade pickup Curtis Mead suffered a broken wrist after just one game with Boston.
Boston’s starting shortstop to open the 2026 campaign in Trevor Story is still working his way back after undergoing sports hernia surgery in May. Even when he was healthy, Story left a lot to be desired with Boston this year, sporting just a .244 on-base percentage.
The Red Sox’ backup options at shortstop have also left a lot to be desired, with both Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Marcelo Mayer sidelined due to injury.
Mayer’s durability and offensive ceiling have also stood as concerning question marks regarding the prospect’s overall big-league profile. Boston also has one of the top prospects in baseball in shortstop Franklin Arias — although the Red Sox could be tempted to flip the blue-chip talent for more guaranteed big-league production.
According to both Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Red Sox are looking for a “long-term” option at shortstop this deadline season, with Boston being linked to names like Washington’s CJ Abrams, Houston’s Jeremy Pena, and Anaheim’s Zach Neto.
“Considering the potential pending lockout — and a very poor position player class in free agency this winter — Boston may be looking at this deadline as an opportunity to settle that position,” McAdam and Cotillo wrote of the shortstop position.
Lopez would be a sizable add for Boston, even if he projects more as an elite contact hitter than a proven thumper in the heart of the Red Sox lineup.
The 27-year-old shortstop has been a force this season with the Marlins, batting .331 with 27 doubles, nine home runs, and 48 RBI with 22 steals across 103 games so far during the 2026 campaign.
The right-handed Lopez could have even more to give offensively if he played most of his games at Fenway Park, especially when it comes to peppering the Green Monster for extra-base hits.
Similar to Mead, Lopez is in the midst of a true breakout campaign this season in Miami, which could offer some risk for whichever team is willing to give up the significant assets needed to pry him from the Marlins.
But, Lopez still boasts a very high floor given his high contract rate, strong defensive play, speed, and the fact that he is under team control through 2030.
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