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By Mike Cole
Contributing Sports Writer
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Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox front office were pretty busy Wednesday night.
The Sox made their first deal of the trade season, acquiring left-hander Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for prospect Blaze Jordan. According to one report, that's not the only thing Boston was in on, though.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey reported the Red Sox were in on Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Ultimately, the D-Backs traded the slugger to Seattle, but the Sox were apparently in the mix -- but with a twist.
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"The Boston Red Sox were in the mix for Eugenio Suárez, with the intention of acquiring him to play first base, sources tell me and The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey," Rosenthal wrote for The Athletic.
Assuming Suarez would have been able to pick up first base, that could have been an excellent move for Boston. The 34-year-old has been one of the best power hitters in baseball this season, launching 36 home runs and driving in 87 runs for the Snakes. On top of that, Suarez would have been an excellent fit at Fenway Park. He's pulling the ball in the air 30% of the time when putting the ball in play this season.
Perhaps the defense was the hang-up. Suarez has played exactly one game -- two innings -- at first base in his 12-year major league career. That, plus the prospect capital, might have been too much. Seattle parted with three top-20 prospects to land Suarez, and Boston's prospect package would have started with someone like James Tibbs or Luis Perales, presumably.
Deadline day still figures to be a big one for Breslow and his staff. The Red Sox are firmly entrenched in a playoff race, and they could use at least one more starting pitcher and likely a right-handed bat to balance out the lineup. Suarez certainly could have done that.
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