Ranger Suarez injury pushes the Red Sox closer to trading these 6 players in a doomed season

As if things couldn't get worse for the Boston Red Sox, their prize free agency addition, left-hander Ranger Suarez, left Sunday's game against the Astros after just 70 pitches over four innings with what the team is calling right hamstring tightness. Though it's uncertain for now, he missed three weeks with a similar hamstring ailment while with the Phillies, so he could potentially join both Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray on the IL as the Red Sox rotation continues to take on water.

Optimism is getting harder to come by with each passing Red Sox game, and the injuries to the top of the starting rotation only make this team feel like they're in the midst of a cursed season. I truly believe that Craig Breslow is too proud to start a fire sale in Boston, but if the Suarez injury is just continuing the trend of a doomed 2026 campaign, he absolutely should. And if he does, then these are the Red Sox players who warrant being on the chopping block.

OF Jarren Duran

Despite an overall dismal start to the season for Jarren Duran (two homers against Houston notwithstanding), it seems like his trade value hasn't diminished quite as much as some might think. So much so that USA Today insider Bob Nightengale reported that Duran is already one of the early hottest trade candidates on the market.

Throughout the offseason, Red Sox fans were calling for Duran or one of the outfielders to be traded. That deal never materialized, and the logjam with Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and even Masataka Yoshida has continued to start the 2026 season, and not with good results overall. And in terms of balancing value to the Red Sox with value on the open market and in a reshaping of the roster, Duran still makes the most sense to trade.

Especially with Duran seeming less than pleased with Boston firing Alex Cora, trading him while he's still coveted around baseball and with several years of control still remaining would fit exactly what the Red Sox need. Whether we're talking about young MLB talent, high-end prospects, or whatever else, if this season really is lost, then Breslow and the front office need to move Duran to help better build for the future, both with talent in the system and opening up more opportunities for young up-and-comers.

SS Trevor Story

Trevor Story is not one of the aforementioned up-and-comers. In fact, he's another piece that's standing in the way of a young guy like Marcelo Mayer, despite the fact that the latter has actually been the far better player this season, much less when looking to the future. Story made a ton of people, myself included, look silly for calling to DFA him after a rough start last season. But he's actively hurting a team trying to find any kind of footing to take off right now.

Story has been one of the worst hitters in baseball this season by WRC+ and almost any metric. He has a paltry .545 OPS on the season and has one of the 20 worst strikeout rates in the league, already fanning 41 times. And if we're just going by the angry fan eye test, that number still somehow feels conservative with some of the noncompetitive swings that he's put on the baseball over the first month-plus of the season.

Realistically, trading Story without taking on most of his contract is going to be hard. And maybe, if this doesn't turn around, designating him for assignment should be considered. But for a player who's supposed to be a leader on and off the field seemingly not holding up his end of the bargain in either capacity, the Red Sox feel like their long-term outlook would be much more positive if they could simply cut ties with their current shortstop.

CP Aroldis Chapman

This one pains me. Signing Aroldis Chapman in free agency coming into the 2025 season might legitimately be one of the most savvy things that Craig Breslow has done in the entirety of his tenure. Despite his age, Chapman has been nothing short of dominant in Boston, posting a blistering 1.17 ERA with a 0.701 WHIP last season and since following that up in 2026 with a 0.84 ERA and more nasty stuff and staredowns from the lefty.

If the Red Sox were contending, Chapman would be a truly untouchable piece. But we're talking about what happens if this team continues to sink further into the muck after the Suarez injury, and if that happens, then trading No. 44 simply has to be on the table. When you look at his performance on the bump, he's been the level of arm that any contender would be salivating trying to add to the bullpen in the hunt for the postseason and possibly a World Series.

The return for Chapman, especially with the potential for the 2027 season as he has a $13 million mutual option on his deal, would be substantial from any contender trying to add to their bullpen. And while having a closer as elite as Chapman has been for Boston is hard to give up, undoubted, the fact of the matter is that the return in terms of prospects or more long-term pieces could end up being more helpful and useful to the Red Sox' plight.

DH Masataka Yoshida

Not only should the Red Sox finally trade Jarren Duran, they should be ready to get rid of Masataka Yoshida too. Frankly, this is one of those spots where Breslow (or whoever) needs to just not worry about winning the deal and worry more about freeing up the roster a bit more. Yoshida is another player that Boston will either have to eat a ton of money in a trade on, or even potentially release, but either option needs to happen.

This isn't because Yoshida has been bad. In fact, he's actually been one of the Red Sox' most consistent hitters in the 2026 season when he's been given the opportunity, posting a .280 average and .750 OPS. The problem has been in the opportunities, though. Both Cora and now Chad Tracy are using him so sparingly that it's clear he's somewhat of an albatross trying to make this lineup work from time to time.

While trading Duran would help with that (and return way more), moving on from Yoshida as well would add more flexibility with the DH spot so it's not largely assigned to an extra outfielder. More importantly, if the Red Sox simply aren't going to use him, that heightens the need to move on from him as he's just clogging up the roster for no good reason at this point.

SP Sonny Gray

While Sonny Gray is on the injured list currently, he appears to be heading back to the Red Sox sooner than later with how things are progressing for the veteran right-hander. If he does that and manages to stay healthy throughout the season, then he's the exact type of arm Boston should be looking to sell off if their season continues in this starkly noncompetitive direction and/or if the injuries keep mounting.

There's not really a world wherein Gray is going to net what Chapman or Duran would on the trade market, but there is always a heavy desire from contenders to add quality veteran pitching that should come somewhat cheap. The righty fits that bill both in terms of performance, and the fact that he could effectively just have this year left on his deal with a $30 million mutual option for next season on the books.

Now, it should be said, Gray has a full no-trade clause, which could complicate this matter at least somewhat. However, if the Red Sox can try to send him to a viable contender or a better situation, perhaps he would waive that and thus allow Boston to get some assets in return that will hopefully help them move forward rather than continue miring away this season.

1B Willson Contreras

It's not at all hyperbolic to say that Willson Contreras has been the only consistently effective offensive force for the Red Sox. And while it might sound crazy just 33 games into the season to suggest trading away the one veteran offensive piece that's working for this lineup right now on a day-to-day basis, that's what we have to prepare ourselves for with how things are trending with this team. The bottom could very realistically fall out further, and Contreras could fetch a pretty penny.

Contreras has legitimately been an All-Star caliber first baseman for Boston. He's sporting an .879 OPS with a .280 average while also leading the Red Sox in home runs (7) and playing Gold Glove-level defense thus far at first base. For a team that was hoping to contend this season, Contreras has been everything that they could've hoped for in the way of performance. He's just being wasted on this team right now.

There's a case to be made that Contreras could be a veteran bat worth keeping around with an overall younger lineup. I'd hear that, but it's also worth considering that he has 2027 and a 2028 club option on his contract left, which should only increase his trade value. He could net the Red Sox potential future starters, and should things sour further with this team, then at least exploring what could be had for Contreras is well worthwhile.

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