The Red Sox aren’t the only team in need of an upgrade at first base.
Improving at the position is one of Boston’s biggest needs as the Major League Baseball trade deadline rapidly approaches. The platoon of Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero isn’t cutting it for the Red Sox, who likely will have to fight tooth and nail the rest of the way in order to earn a postseason berth.
The top first baseman available as Aug. 2 nears appears to be Josh Bell, who has been one of the few bright spots for a dreadful Washington Nationals team this season. The Red Sox have been linked to Bell in trade rumors this summer, but it seems several other teams are kicking the tires on the 29-year-old as well.
“Bell is a rental but his switch hitting and ability to play first base or DH increase his trade value,” The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote in a column published Tuesday. “The teams interested in him include, but are not limited to, the Mets, Astros, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Rays.”
Adding Bell would be a bonus for the Mets and the Blue Jays, who already boast All-Star first basemen. Houston and Tampa Bay make sense as landing spots for the seventh-year pro, but you could argue both teams have more pressing needs.
As such, the Red Sox arguably should be the most aggressive in their pursuit of Bell among the aforementioned teams. It remains to be seen, however, how much of a buyer Chaim Bloom and company want to be in the coming days.
