Interest Kings: Red Sox connected to big name out west

Roll out the red carpet in Orlando: The Interest Kings are in town.

The MLB Winter Meetings are taking place through Wednesday in Florida, where the Red Sox and 29 other teams are schmoozing it up, with agents and with each other, in the hopes of reaching offseason deals. The Red Sox, as is tradition, continue to be heavily involved in rumors in both free agency and the trade market. But Boston graduated a little bit past the "Interest Kings" moniker in the 2025 season. Can they repeat that progress in 2026?

If the latest big name linked to them is any indication, the Red Sox are floating around for a big fish. Insiders Jon Heyman and Bob Nightengale both mentioned the Sox over the weekend as having interest in Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. The veteran would certainly qualify as a big-name addition. He's coming off three straight seasons of at least 25 home runs, while averaging 36 homers per 162 games and posting an .887 OPS in that span. A three-time All-Star, Marte also earned an NL Silver Slugger award in each of the past two campaigns.

But beyond just being a legit star player, Marte checks boxes for the Red Sox in terms of the kind of asset they probably want to add. At 32 years old and signed through 36, with a player option at 37, Marte probably wouldn't cost as much to get in a trade as his pedigree would suggest. And his average salary of $18.4 million over the next five years is actually pretty team-friendly, even if his offensive production dips as he plays into his mid-30s.

There's also injury risks associated with Marte, who tends to get banged up for various reasons. He's played 150 or more games just once since 2020, and has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries, in addition to issues with his ankle and back. Although he's avoided a major injury in recent years, the likelihood of stints on the injured list should be built in for him.

The Red Sox have multiple openings to fill in the infield, and Marte would immediately become their everyday second baseman, who can also play shortstop or outfield in a pinch. Kristian Campbell is reportedly going to work on playing the outfield, leaving second base open for the taking.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow may also need to figure out third base, if Alex Bregman ends up signing elsewhere. But one of his most prominent suitors, the Detroit Tigers, are showing only "lukewarm" interest in him at the moment, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Not to mention, first base remains a question mark, with options abound but no one to lock in just yet.

So, the Red Sox are really just getting started in building out the 2026 roster. But if they want to improve upon last season, they likely need to make a big move or two in the lineup, including possibly bringing Bregman back. Marte would fit that bill, but according to Rob Bradford, the Red Sox' supposed interest in him has "no real momentum" toward a deal.

That could all just be public negotiation tactics, so we'll see. They need to do something. And the smoke continues to swirl around them.