An emergency Red Sox-Angels trade to kill two birds with one stone

The Boston Red Sox have placed themselves in the perfect position to buy ahead of the trade deadline. They have chased down the New York Yankees in the AL East, closing the gap on them substantially.

And they have some holes they could look to upgrade before the deadline passes. The most notable places that Boston could improve is in their infield, specially up the middle and on their pitching staff. They could look to add both a high leverage reliever and a starter before the deadline date passes by.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

A Red Sox-Angels trade to kill two birds with one stone for Boston

The Los Angeles Angels have exactly what the Red Sox need: a controllable infielder with defensive versatility and a high-leverage reliever.

Their infielder, Luis Rengifo, is fresh off the injured list and playing incredibly well this year. He's slashing .315/.358/.442 with 22 stolen bases in 69 games this season.

Their reliever, Carlos Estevez, is also performing very well. He's recorded 19 saves in 33 innings while holding an ERA below 2.50 and a WHIP well below 1.00.

Boston could look to swoop in and acquire both players in one deal.

In order to acquire these two pieces from the Angels, it would take three or four young players from Boston's top-30 prospects. This proposed deal sends Boston's eighth, ninth and 26th-ranked prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, to the Angels.

Zanetello, 19, is rated highly for his tools, not his teenage production. Like many teenagers, he's struggled in pro ball, slashing .197/.325/.343 in 50 games. The sample size is big enough to see a clear problem but not big enough to sound the alarms. Still, he's 19 and has the potential to be a four or five tool player if he matures and fills out correctly.

Perales, 21, is a bit of a hidden gem in Boston's top-10 prospects. A lot of the attention goes to their top three prospects, for good reason, but Perales has thrown to a sub-3.00 ERA in nine starts across two levels of the minors. He deserves real attention.

Bastardo, 22, is a bit of a lottery ticket prospect. He has the ability to develop past where he's projected to be but his projections have him as an average pitcher at best. He's throwing okay this season, holding a 5.36 ERA in 10 Double-A starts.

The Angels very well could ask for an additional prospect in this deal and I highly doubt that Boston would complain. With Estevez expiring though, this may be enough to get it done. Either way, if the Red Sox have a chance to knock out two issues in one deal like this, they need to take that shot.