The Boston Red Sox have a question at shortstop right now heading into the 2027 season.

On one hand, the Red Sox still have Trevor Story. But Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow didn't commit to him as the club's starter while speaking to the media on Monday, as shared by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. Boston also has top prospect Franklin Arias, who very well could be in the mix in 2027. Or, Boston could be a team to watch in the trade market for shortstops around the league. Throughout the offseason so far, Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz has been consistently floated as a potential target. On Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News mentioned Boston as a possible landing spot for an intriguing shortstop: Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers. Grant also reported that the Rangers are "fully on board" with gauging Seager's trade market.

"The Red Sox are just about to emerge from a long-term deal with a shortstop from the free agent class of ‘22, Irving’s Trevor Story," Grant wrote. "He’s free after 2027. So why potentially sign up for that all over again with Seager having five years remaining? The Red Sox were interested last winter. They may have some of their down deals they’d like to offload, like Story and perhaps arb-eligible Jarren Duran. ... The Red Sox also have some prospects who’ve lost value Kristian Campbell, who signed a long-term deal, but spent last year in the minors."

Should Boston Pursue Corey Seager?

Seager has been a superstar throughout his 12-year big league career up to this point. He's a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and a two-time World Series champion. Plus, he won two World Series Most Valuable Player Awards. Simply put, Seager has been great for a long time.

Seager signed a 10-year, $325 million deal and he has five years left worth $31.5 million per year. On the bright side, he's under contract for a long time, but he's pricey and coming off a season in which he batted .227 and played in just 102 games. Throughout the summer, the Red Sox showed interest in Seager, but he wasn't moved. Last offseason, it was reported that the Red Sox were not on a list of teams that Seager could veto a deal to.

When it comes to Boston, the idea of pursuing Seager would be a clear sign that the organization isn't confident in Story any longer. It would also be a sign that they may not view Arias as the shortstop of the future. This past summer, Boston pursued shortstops, including Zach Neto, De La Cruz and CJ Abrams. So, the idea of a pursuit makes sense from that perspective. But Seager is coming off a tough season, by his standards. He slashed .227/.312/.424 with a .736 OPS, 20 home runs and 51 RBIs in 102 games, although he did rack up 3.1 wins above replacement. In 2024, he was a 7.2 WAR player and then he was a 6.1 WAR player in 2025.

The price tag to acquire someone like Seager would certainly be less than the price tag to acquire someone like De La Cruz or maybe even Abrams at this point because he's 32 years old. If the Red Sox want to go big-game hunting, but don't want to pay the price for someone like De La Cruz, then Seager would be worth a look.

But with him being 32 years old now and coming off a down season, the price tag to acquire him — and his big contract — couldn't break the bank. If the price is right, then it makes sense. But it would have to be a perfect deal to take on five years at this point in Seager's career and injury concerns.