Earlier this offseason, the Boston Red Sox lost third baseman Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency. Now? The Red Sox reportedly continue to engage in trade talks with the Cubs about what is perceived as roster surplus.

They are also calling the Houston Astros about infielder Isaac Paredes, something we have discussed in the last few days.

Both of these developments were noted by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and relayed by Tyler Milliken of the Section 10 Podcast on social media Monday. Speier says that the Red Sox are engaged with the Cubs about each of Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw. He says that Jarren Duran has been discussed in the trade talks, but not left-handed prospect Connelly Early.

Headed into the final year of his contract, Hoerner is a contact-first infielder who would help further lengthen the Red Sox lineup. He's a .282 career hitter over seven seasons who hit .297 a year ago. He only had seven home runs, but he drove in 61 runs and stole 29 bases.

A back-to-back Gold Glove winner, he'd play second base and pair with Trevor Story to make a dynamic up the middle duo.

It remains unclear if the Cubs would really trade Hoerner. After signing Bregman, aren't they all-in on getting to the playoffs again - and winning the World Series? Does trading away Hoerner really help them do that? Getting a big-league piece like Duran could alleviate the loss, but it's still a fair question.

A Massachusetts native, Shaw is on the opposite end of the pendulum. He was a rookie in 2025 and is under team control through 2031. Just 24 years old, he hit .226 in 393 major league at-bats last season.

Armed with prodigious power, he had 13 home runs. He'd also play second base for the Red Sox, and the Cubs might be more willing to move him considering they have Hoerner, Bregman and Dansby Swanson in the infield.

That said, he's a former top prospect and likely won't be cheap. Also, the Red Sox have their own former Top 100 prospect in Kristian Campbell. If you're trading for Shaw, are you admitting that Campbell isn't a serious answer to roster questions? 

Now 26 years old, Paredes is a six-year veteran out of Mexico. He made his debut in 2020 with the Detroit Tigers but has also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cubs and Astros. A two-time All-Star, he's a career .237 hitter with 92 homers and 287 RBIs. He's had double-digit home runs in each of the last four seasons, and with his dead-pull approach, he's an ideal fit for Fenway Park. He's also under team control for two more seasons.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!