Red Sox interested in Kyle Schwarber

On the heels of the Yankees adding Giancarlo Stanton, the Red Sox are interested in Kyle Schwarber.

The New York Yankees have made what will surely stand as the biggest move of the MLB offseason, with Giancarlo Stanton set to join Aaron Judge in the middle of the lineup. The Boston Red Sox are in a never-ending competition with their chief rival, and according to Scott Lauber of ESPN Boston they are interested in Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber had a mostly disappointing 2017 season for the Chicago Cubs, with a .211/.315/.467 slash-line over 129 games (486 plate appearances) with a mid-season demotion to Triple-A. But he still hit 30 home runs, and after the All-Star break (encompassing most of his post-demotion time) Schwarber hit 17 home runs with a .894 OPS over 209 plate appearances.

Schwarber tore his ACL playing left field early in the 2016 season, which further confirmed he’s a DH miscast by having to play in the National League. The Cubs have obviously had little choice but to play him in the field, and left field has become the preference over catcher.

Schwarber is a favorite of Cubs president Theo Epstein, and coming off a down year outside of his home run total they would be selling low on him this winter. So trading him is probably not even on Chicago’s radar, barring being made a Godfather-style offer they can’t refuse.

Next: Winners and losers from Giancarlo Stanton trade

The Red Sox didn’t get much traction in their pursuit of Stanton, but they’re hardly alone in that with the now former Marlins’ slugger having a no-trade clause. In terms of available power hitters, free agent J.D. Martinez and some others are sure to be on Boston’s radar. Schwarber would be nothing more than a consolation prize if those other pursuits fall short, which would also remove Dave Dombrowski’s leverage in trade talks with the Cubs.