When you look at the Boston Red Sox current roster it is easy to see that they have an abundance of bats at their disposal. The Red Sox are seemingly two deep at each position with an even bigger logjam out in the outfield. Unless Opening Day rosters are increased, Boston has plenty of trade avenues that they can explore if they choose. While manager John Farrell has said that he fully expects Allen Craig to break camp with the club, Craig can arguably be viewed as the eventual odd man out in Beantown. If Boston does choose to make a move, there are potentially two really good options to move Craig for another piece in the Fenway frenzy.
The first option would be the Minnesota Twins. Until top prospect Byron Buxton arrives, the restructured Twins have no concrete parts in their outfield at the moment. They brought back veteran Torii Hunter, but that does not have any long-term fit attached with it. In addition, Minnesota has young players Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Jordan Schafer, and Danny Santana in the mix. Kennys Vargas is also a switch-hitting option in the designated hitter spot.
Adding Craig to the Twins lineup would help in many places. He can be a veteran DH in the middle of the order, spell Joe Mauer at first base, and also add a veteran bat to the outfield rotation. In a lineup that may struggle to drive in runs, adding a bat like Craig would not hurt. In exchange, Boston could land left-hand pitcher Tommy Milone as another starting option, or as a long arm in the bullpen and insurance in the event of any injury.
The second option would be the Los Angeles Angels. With the unfortunate news involving Josh Hamilton, the Angels may be in the market for adding another bat before Opening Day. Craig would be a smooth fit within the Angels’ lineup. Assuming Hamilton does end up missing considerable time, Matt Joyce could move to left field and Craig would then take over the DH role in LA. Craig can also spell Albert Pujols at first base at times to keep him fresh over the course of the long season. A healthy Craig would also lengthen that lineup hitting behind Mike Trout, Pujols, and Joyce.
In exchange, Boston could ask for another left-hander in Hector Santiago. While Milone or Santiago would not be viewed as number one starting options, which is what Boston may be lacking, they still would add to the potential options that could make up the back half of a Red Sox rotation.
What the Red Sox do about their outfield logjam is anyone’s guess. Boston already has a deep talent pool, and they have plenty of options to explore that would only help strengthen and deepen that pool at Fenway.
Craig to the angels would be a nice fit but not sure who they have in the farm to trade, imo it might cost them cron plus a prospect.