Trade rumors: The Colorado Rockies could fill a need for the Boston Red Sox

The 2021 MLB Trade Deadline is about five weeks away and the Colorado Rockies could help the Boston Red Sox with one of their biggest needs.

The Boston Red Sox are in first place in the American League East by half of a game over of the Tampa Bay Rays, entering play on Tuesday but they have a big need: first base.

The Colorado Rockies could help the Boston Red Sox with their issue.

The Red Sox’s first basemen have combined to have a wRC+ of 75, which is 28th in all of baseball. That is mainly because Bobby Dalbec, who has had a bad season at the plate.

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Dalbec, 25, was ranked #93 in MLB.com’s top prospects and the Red Sox hope that he will be their first baseman of the future. The Red Sox were hoping that he would have numbers like he did in his 2020 season, when he hit .263/.359/.600 but a .219/.271/.434 slash line in his sophomore campaing this year is far from it. That is also up in the last week and a half as, in his last nine games, he has been hitting .382. That’s why Dalbec has been hitting ninth in their lineup.

That’s why Colorado Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron would be a perfect fit for the Red Sox. Cron, 31, would be an upgrade for the Red Sox offense at first base as he is hitting .271/.371/.475 with the Rockies in 2021.

Dalbec is also a natural third baseman. Rafael Devers currently is the starting third baseman there but Dalbec can occasionally spell Devers at third base and Cron at first base. If they want to get both Cron and Dalbec in the lineup, the Red Sox could DH one of them and easily put their primary designated hitter J.D. Martinez in left field and move their left fielder, Alex Verdugo to center field. Both Martinez and Verdugo have played those positions in 2021, anyways.

The Red Sox primary center fielder, former Dodger Kiké Hernandez, has struggled at the plate himself and he is versatile enough that he could be used off the bench as a utility man.

Cron also is only signed through the rest of this season so the Red Sox could use him just for the remainder of the season as a rental and let him go via free agency in the offseason and move Dalbec back to first base everyday.

Cron could provide the Red Sox with a much needed upgrade at first base during their stretch run and, potentially, the playoffs and also provide the team with some veteran leadership for a few months as well. A trade between the two teams could help both teams as the Rockies could also get a prospect or two from the Red Sox and, perhaps, start to replenish their farm system, a farm system that has been ranked in the bottom third of baseball for many years.