The Boston Red Sox offense recently took a massive hit from the Rafael Devers trade. The question that now faces Craig Breslow and company is, who will fill the void?
One MLB insider has proposed a name that would be a crowd-pleaser. In a recent piece from MLB.com, Mark Feinsand floated Diamondbacks’ first baseman Josh Naylor as a suitable target.
“Arizona has climbed back into the playoff race with a good start to June, leaving the Diamondbacks in striking distance of a Wild Card spot and still in the conversation in the NL West,” he wrote.
“But Naylor is one of more than a half-dozen impending free agents on the roster, and given that a number of teams could use a big corner-infield bat, it’s possible that Arizona could move Naylor (or Eugenio Suárez) and his expiring contract to address other needs.”
Jun 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first base Josh Naylor (22) celebrates with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) after hitting a walk off grand slam home run against the Seattle Mariners in the eleventh inning at Chase Field.
Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
This season, Naylor is hitting .302/.356/.474 with nine home runs. The Red Sox currently have a pair of first base options, Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez, hitting to similar success with higher OPS numbers than Naylor, albeit in shorter stints.
While this shouldn’t distract from Naylor’s great year or the fact that he is a quality option, it might be a little bit of a hindrance to the team if Naylor took over at first base full-time. Although with Devers gone, the DH spot is open, and any one of these three could easily fill it.
Although Naylor is in his walk year, the Diamondbacks may decide to hold onto him. Arizona is at .500 and stands only three games back in the Wild Card.
