The Boston Red Sox had been receiving calls about the availability of Blake Swihart in trade talks earlier this offseason, but the team doesn't plan to trade him and are willing to part with either Deven Marrero or Brock Holt instead, according to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston.
Blake Swihart’s strong spring seems to have the Red Sox more inclined to deal one of their natural utility infielders, such as Brock Holt or Deven Marrero, rather than Swihart, a converted catcher with high upside who's getting a look in other roles.
"Sounds like they’re holding Swihart to open," a rival executive said. "More likely to move a utility guy."
Swihart, who will turn 26 in two weeks, is expected to be utilized in a bench role for Boston rather than his best position at catcher this season given the win-now nature of the club.
"He’s a great athlete," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Swihart on Sunday. "We’ve seen it in the batter’s box. It’s not only the results, but the way he’s driving the ball to left field as a left-hander, the quality of at-bats as a right-hander. [On Saturday], as a pinch-hitter, that kid was throwing 99 and he throws a breaking ball and squares a ball up."
Marrero has already drawn trade interest from other teams. He is batting just .184 with three doubles and two RBIs in 16 Grapefruit League games this spring after appearing in 71 games for the Red Sox last season.
Holt, who made the All-Star team in 2015, offers more positional flexibility than Marrero and, as such, is the player Boston prefers to hang onto. He hit just .200 with six doubles and seven RBIs in 120 plate appearances last season.
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