Talks between the Red Sox and Marlins on shortstop Otto Lopez didn’t go anywhere and are “dead” at this point, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports. McAdam adds that the Fish are understandably seeking a package headlined by “elite” prospect(s) in order to part with the remaining three-plus seasons of control on Lopez, who leads the NL in batting and could find himself in consideration for a Gold Glove at shortstop this season. Kevin Barral of Fish On First writes that Miami isn’t actively looking to cash in on Lopez’s breakout but is simply seeing if anyone will make the sort of offer they can’t turn away. The Red Sox apparently aren’t willing to do so.
Lopez, 27, is one of the best waiver pickups in recent memory. The Blue Jays and Giants both designated him for assignment back in 2024. Miami scooped him up and initially used him as a utility player, but Lopez’s role has continued to grow. He first settled in as a slick-fielding but light-hitting second baseman before flipping infield positions with then-shortstop Xavier Edwards — a move that worked out for both players. Lopez continued delivering light offense and premium defense last year, but his bat has erupted in 2026.
Through 463 plate appearances this season, the righty-swinging Lopez is hitting .322/.356/.481. He’s sitting on a sub-14% strikeout rate for the second straight season and is hitting for more power on a rate basis than in past seasons. Lopez’s nine home runs put him on pace for a similar home run total to last year’s 15, but he’s already smacked 27 doubles and seven triples this season — up from 21 and 0 in 2025, despite having 131 fewer plate appearances. Lopez’s 22 steals (in 26 attempts) are already a career-high as well. Lopez currently ranks second among all position players in wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference. FanGraphs has him tied with Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle for fifth.
The Marlins’ exact ask for Lopez isn’t clear, but the Sox have a pair of prospects in the sport’s top 50. Right-hander Anthony Eyanson is generally regarded somewhere in the No. 30-50 range, whereas shortstop Franklin Arias is a consensus top-10 prospect in all of baseball; Baseball America ranks Arias as the game’s No. 3 prospect. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranks him fourth.
Either prospect, particularly Arias, would be a hefty but understandable ask, given the extent of Lopez’s breakout. It’s fair to expect some of Lopez’s offense to regress, given a huge .354 average on balls in play, but his low strikeout rate, above-average speed and plus glovework give Lopez an extremely high floor. Add in that he’s not even arbitration-eligible yet and is under team control through the 2029 season — his age-30 campaign — and Miami is plenty justified in asking for multiple top-100 prospects or even a top-20 talent.
The Marlins aren’t operating as pure sellers this deadline, but they reportedly have very few players who are off the table entirely. The Fish aren’t dealing face-of-the-franchise Sandy Alcantara or fellow right-hander Eury Pérez. Young catcher Joe Mack is also all but untouchable, and righty Max Meyer presumably isn’t far behind. Beyond that, the Marlins appear open to at least hearing out interest on just about anyone, even controllable players like Lopez, Edwards and catcher/designated hitter Liam Hicks. President of baseball ops Peter Bendix will set a lofty asking price on any of those long-term assets, however. Lopez, in particular, seems like a long shot to change hands.
The Red Sox will presumably turn their focus to other shortstops, though they’ve also reportedly been eyeing upgrades behind the plate. Their willingness to move Jarren Duran signals that they’re open to some changes in the outfield as well. Boston already swung one trade to add a right-handed bat, shipping left-hander Connolly Early to Washington in exchange for breakout infielder Curtis Mead, but Mead fractured his wrist in his Red Sox debut and now faces an extended absence.
