Red Sox may not need to trade for infield upgrade after all

The Boston Red Sox are red-hot, currently 3.5 games behind the ice-cold New York Yankees and 5.5 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles. The AL East is officially there for the taking, and Alex Cora has sent the right message to his team. It's not a window — it's a wide-open door.

Boston has won eight of its last 10 games. The offense has exceeded every expectation to date, seventh in total hits and eighth in home runs among MLB teams. This is a legitimately explosive group, especially when injuries aren't getting in the way.

That said, every contender needs upgrades at the trade deadline, and the Red Sox still have ground to make up. The American League — and especially Boston's division — is highly competitive. The Yankees ought to snap out of their slumber eventually and the O's, despite a recent skid, are possibly the deepest and most talented team east of Los Angeles.

Of the weaknesses currently vexing Boston, few stand out more than the middle infield woes. Second base in particular has been a position of great trouble. Vaughn Grissom and Emmanuel Valdez are both quality long-term projects, but neither is prepared for high-stakes ABs in the postseason.

The Red Sox have been involved in a variety of trade rumors involving potential infield upgrades. Jazz Chisholm, Justin Turner, Luis Rengifo. Really anybody with a half-decent bat and a little experience works.

Well, it could be Boston's lucky day. A credible upgrade just hit waivers — and it happens to be a player the Red Sox displayed interest in during the offseason.

Red Sox could turn to Phillies castoff Whit Merrifield for infield reinforcement

The Philadelphia Phillies cut ties with Whit Merrifield on Friday, a move that surprised many. Depth is already an issue for Philadelphia, but one could argue that Merrifield was part of the problem. He was supposed to be the Phils' secret weapon — an All-Star utilityman capable of plugging holes all over the depth chart. Instead, the 35-year-old never established a rhythm and eventually drew the ire of an unforgiving fanbase.

Now he's on waivers and the Red Sox can swoop in. Boston "touched base" with Merrifield in the offseason, per Chad Jennings and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. He ended up with Philadelphia on a one-year, $8 million contract, but there is documented, mutual interest between the multitalented vet and Boston.

Merrfield is the ideal Red Sox addition on paper. He's flexible between different infield positions and the outfield, so he can plug a variety of holes. He was an All-Star last season in Toronto, so the resumé stands out.

And yet... that is exactly why the Phillies wanted Merrifield, and now here we are. It has been a rough campaign for the 35-year-old. Maybe it was a Philadelphia-specific issue, but it's hard to look at .199/.277/.295 splits and earnestly believe a change of scenery will solve the issue. Merrifield is past his prime and the Red Sox cannot count on him as the sole solution to a persistent issue.

That said, as a no-risk addition with the potential to break out of a slump, sure. He's worth a go. Boston needs to be in add mode, and claiming Merrifield would send the right message to a hungry fanbase — we're here to win games.