Red Sox reportedly showed interest in Mark Canha

Trade rumor season is upon us! Late last week Evan Drellich of NBC Sports mentioned that the Red Sox have two focuses for this trade deadline: relief help and right-handed depth to come off their bench. There a ton of different targets in each of those groups and we will surely hear about Boston showing interest to any number of them. In the meantime, we have a rumor about one of the potential right-handed bats they could be interested in. According to Susan Sussler of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Athletics and Red Sox have had discussions centered around right-handed outfielder Mark Canha.

The Oakland outfielder makes some sense for the Red Sox. The fact that Boston already has three outfielders who can feasibly play all three outfield spots makes it easier to carry a corner-only player, which is what Canha is. However, what he also is is a solid hitter. On the season, he is hitting .250/.322/.452 for a 112 wRC+. There’s not a ton that stands out in his game besides the power, but that is enough to make him a valuable piece. It is also worth noting that he has a 162 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. The Red Sox, of course, have struggled mightily against southpaws this season. In addition to that, Canha also plays first base and gives them a potential right-handed counterpart for Mitch Moreland in addition to his outfield and DH capabilities.

As for a return, the Athletics are currently looking at starting pitching depth right now. The Red Sox have plenty of that, though it remains to be seen how the A’s value guys like Brian Johnson or Chandler Shepherd, among others. Additionally, it is unclear if things will change if/when the A’s fall further out of the race. For now, there doesn’t seem to be much here, but Sussler noted this could be revisited in a couple of weeks. If nothing else, this is confirmation of the type of player the Red Sox will be looking at this summer.