Former MLB General Manager Suggests Bold ‘Pivot’ For Red Sox

Significant lineup acquisitions have eluded the Boston Red Sox throughout the offseason, but an MLB analyst believes there’s one more potential splash on the table.

The Red Sox watched another rumored target go elsewhere when the Seattle Mariners acquired Brendan Donovan. Former New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips responded by encouraging Boston to acquire CJ Abrams from the Washington Nationals to play a new position.

“The Red Sox need to pivot,” Phillips said Tuesday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. “Call the Nationals. Call (team president Paul) Toboni, who left Boston, and go get CJ Abrams to go play second base. That’s the move for the Boston Red Sox.”

Abrams batted .257/.315/.433 with 19 home runs and 31 stolen bases last season, but his defense could pose concerns. He committed 22 errors with minus-11 outs above average at shortstop during his fourth year with Washington.

Phillips believes shifting the 25-year-old off shortstop will make him a better fielder while also filling an area of need for Boston.

“He’ll be a great second baseman,” Phillips predicted. “He’s a bad shortstop; he’ll be a very good second baseman. That’s the move they need to make right now.”

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden identified the Red Sox as a potential trade fit when reporting that the Nationals are listening to offers for Abrams. There’s no rush, as he remains under contract until after the 2028 season.

Yet Boston’s ties to Toboni, who worked with the Red Sox from 2015 to 2025 before landing Washington’s job this offseason, could make a deal easier. The Red Sox have already acquired Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in separate deals with former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom’s St. Louis Cardinals.

“You got a connection there, like Chaim Bloom has had with the Red Sox,” Phillips noted. “Toboni has that relationship with the Red Sox, too. He knows who he likes, what he wants. I think relationships matter in these deals.”

The Red Sox may have found their own pivot, reportedly signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year deal on Wednesday. However, the veteran utility man doesn’t necessarily have to block another larger move.