3 Trevor Story replacements Red Sox can trade for after deflating injury

Red Sox have been after Joey Wendle for some time and now they have to pull the trigger

As has been mentioned numerous times throughout this offseason, one of the few Boston trade rumors we’ve heard this offseason has been the club’s reported interest in Marlins utilityman Joey Wendle. Given his time with the Rays and Bloom’s connection to Tampa Bay, that makes a ton of sense. But the Story injury could accelerate any ongoing discussions on this front.

Wendle, who turns 33 years old in April, has been extremely quality over the past two seasons, spending 2021 with the Rays and 2022 with the Marlins. Over the past two years and 237 games, he’s slashed .263/.310/.395 with 14 homers, 55 doubles, five triples, 20 stolen bases, 86 RBI and 100 runs scored.

Make no mistake, he’s not been as impressive of a player as Kim but he would represent a lot of the same things as a Red Sox trade target. He’s a plus on the infield with his glove and is a reliable bat who hits above .250 with an OBP over .300 that can get on base to set up the rest of the lineup for run production, something Boston has thrived with amid their two decades of success.

The fact that the Sox have been so interested in Wendle to this point with no trade yet does make you worry that the asking price from Miami might be a bit steep. But in the club’s current predicament, Boston might be more inclined to raise their offer to get this deal done as Wendle could help fill Story’s place and still be an asset upon his return.