Red Sox urged by MLB insider to look at Diamondbacks, Orioles for first base options after Rafael Devers loss

The Boston Red Sox added All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason to bolster their infield. However, injuries to Bregman and other position players have depleted their infield options.

Boston's infield took a huge blow after first baseman Triston Casas' season-ending injury in May. While the team looked at Rafael Devers as a potential option, the former third baseman declined the role and was surprisingly traded to the San Francisco Giants last week.

Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have filled in the role as the team is expected to make a move at the trade deadline in July for a potential long-term solution. MLB insider Jon Heyman named two potential options for the Red Sox in a conversation on MLB Network.

Expand Tweet

"The other thing they're going to look at is first base. Now, Toro has actually done very well so far at first base, but he hasn't been considered a starting first baseman. I'll throw a couple of names there, potentially for the Red Sox. One would be Josh Naylor. Again, the Diamondbacks are not expected to be a seller, but if he is, there would be a frenzy for him.

"The other one is Ryan O'Hearn, who's now leading as the DH vote getter in the American League. Now that Devers has been traded, there's going to be a big play for him if you think the bat market is really going to be weak, so if the Orioles sell, and they haven't said they're going to be a seller, yet they're still thinking about it. They will do very well for Ryan."

MLB analyst urges Red Sox to make a move for Josh Naylor

Josh Naylor has been decent at the plate for the Diamondbacks this season, batting .303 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs. While Jon Heyman floated Naylor's name, MLB analyst Connor Ryan said the Red Sox need to go for the Diamondbacks infielder.

"Naylor has established himself as one of the more underrated hitters in baseball over the last few seasons," Ryan wrote. "In 2023, he batted .308 with 17 home runs and 97 RBI with the Cleveland Guardians, following that up with 31 home runs and 108 RBI in 2024 with Cleveland.

"So far in 2025 with Arizona, Naylor is batting .300 and is on pace for 19 home runs and 104 RBI. Even if his defense at first isn't strong, the 28-year-old Naylor would be a strong addition to the lineup, especially at an area of weakness on the roster."

It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox look at July's trade deadline to fill the hole at first base or wait for the offseason with a few high-profile names expected to be available in free agency.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash