The Boston Red Sox need an additional right-handed bat in the middle of their lineup. Chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow has said so on multiple occasions. But so far, the Red Sox have not made any moves, either through free agent signings or trades, to acquire one.

Now, according to a former a former MLB general manager, a righty hitter may be available in trade and he probably would not cost the Red Sox much in terms of prospects or major league players in return. And this hitter is one with whom the Red Sox and their fans are extremely familiar.

Xander Bogaerts was signed by the Red Sox in 2009 when he was 16 years old and playing baseball at Colegio Arubano high school in Oranjestad, on the Caribbean island of Aruba where he was born and grew up. Boagerts was only the sixth player (out of what is now seven) ever signed from Aruba, and the first from Oranjestad, the island’s capital.

He remains the most successful Aruban MLB player. He played 10 seasons in Boston starting with his debut in 2013 when he was six weeks shy of his 21st birthday. He played on the Red Sox World Series-winning team that year, despite appearing in only 18 regular season games. As Boston’s shortstop five years later, Bogaerts was an important player on the Red Sox’ all-time winningest team.

The 2018 Red Sox won 108 regular season games, going on to lose just three of 14 postseason games as they breezed their way to the franchise’s fourth World Series title in 15 years. Bogaerts hit 23 home runs with an .883 OPS for that team.

After the 2022 season Bogaerts became a free agent. He departed the Red Sox to sign with the San Diego Padres for $280 million over 11 years.

Just two years into that deal, according to former Cincinnati Reds and Washington National general manager Jim Bowden — now a writer for The Athletic — the Padres have seen enough. They are willing, Bowden said on a Jan. 30 podcast, to offer Bogaerts for trade and even add a prospect to the package, all in an effort to rid themselves of Bogaerts’ upcoming salary commitments. Bogaerts is owed $25 million in 2025 alone — and the same each year for the next eight after that.

Should the Red Sox do it? Because they would be doing the Padres a favor by absorbing Bogaert’s contract, they likely would not need to send back top prospects or significant big league talent.

According to writer Jason Burga of Sportsnaut — writing several weeks before Bowden confirmed rumors that San Diego wanted out from under Bogaerts’ contract — Boston should absolutely be on the list of Boagerts destinations. Even though the now-32-year-old has often struggled offensively in San Diego, a return to Boston where he was one of the most beloved players of his era may offer just the cure, Burga wrote.

“This offseason for the Boston Red Sox has all been about trying to fix their damaged reputation after going bargain shopping over the last few winters,” the Sportsnaut scribe stated.