The Boston Red Sox have already begun adding at the MLB trade deadline, as they acquired left-handed pitcher James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
However, the team could certainly use more help, as they try to make a push toward the playoffs in the remaining 60 games of the regular season.
In a recent post, USA Today's Gabe Lacques listed six deadline deals that would make sense for contenders, and for the Red Sox he picked a right-handed hitter as their biggest need and gave Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker as the match.
Rooker, 29, was the Minnesota Twins' 35th overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft. He debuted in Minnesota in 2020 before being traded to the San Diego Padres in 2022 and then to the Kansas City Royals later in the year.
After the 2022 season, the Royals designated Rooker for assignment, and the Athletics claimed him.
Rooker was an All-Star in 2023, and this year, he's hit .288 with a .948 OPS, 25 home runs, 72 RBIs and six stolen bases. He's played left field, right field and designated hitter during his career, giving a team trading for him some flexibility.
Following the 2024 season, Rooker still has three years of arbitration, meaning he could be a piece for the present and future that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been looking for.
Boston's roster is loaded with left-handed hitters, as seven of their 13 hitters bat from the left side. The addition of Rooker could be the piece they need to truly contend for not only a spot in the postseason but the American League East as well.
