The Boston Red Sox are at a crossroads right now, as they must decide whether to bring back Alex Bregman, who opted out of his contract to test free agency. If they lose him, they’ll have to find an appropriate successor.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has confirmed a wild trade for the Sox: trade for Tampa Bay Rays All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero. The transaction would look like this:
Red Sox get: 3B Junior Caminero
“They may resign Bregman. They could also let it ride with a combination of Marcelo Mayer, Nate Eaton, and Nick Sogard on the hot corner. But Caminero nearly hit as many home runs as Boston’s top two sluggers combined—Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu had a total of 47—and he would cost them around $1.7 million during his next two years of pre-arbitration, Miller noted. “It would be an expensive trade in terms of prospects, but it’s a ridiculously cheap solution to what is clearly their most pressing need in 2026. That would let them to spend heavily on a first baseman or co-ace to partner with Garrett Crochet.”
In 154 games last season, Caminero hit.264/.311/.535/.846 with 28 doubles, 45 home runs, and 110 RBIs. He would be the clear leader in home runs for Boston, as well as the leader in RBI by a significant margin.
Even if the Sox re-sign Bregman, they should consider Caminero. If he can go to first, the Sox may utilize the money saved by acquiring him to pay for additional pitchers. And with that, they’ve effectively locked themselves into a trip to the World Series.
