Red Sox insider hints at another big move as Yankees offseason feels incomplete

The AL East has featured some of the most aggressive teams this offseason. The Baltimore Orioles struck with one of the first significant moves of the offseason by trading for Taylor Ward before adding Pete Alonso and a slew of other players while still eyeing further starting pitching upgrades. The Boston Red Sox tried to see how many different times they could pull off a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, and also signed Ranger Suárez. The Blue Jays? They've been one of the most active teams anywhere. And then you have the run-it-back New York Yankees.

Even the Tampa Bay Rays have made several moves to reshape their roster. The Yankees, meanwhile, made Cade Winquest and Ryan Weathers the only significant (a term used very loosely) additions who weren't already part of the 2025 unit.

Now, Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo is reporting that the Red Sox aren't done adding. The MassLive reporter made it be known that Boston is "involved in serious trade talks all over the place" when it comes to adding to their position player group.

Red Sox look to continue to address their weaknesses while the Yankees remain silent and risk falling further behind

The Red Sox have a well-documented need in the infield since losing Alex Bregman. Promising youngster Marcelo Mayer figures to slide in at either second or third, but the remaining vacancy has no real internal options. That means Boston could be casting a wide net.

Could that be Ketel Marte? The Arizona Diamondbacks have backed down from their intention to trade him, but they also need pitching, and the Red Sox have a surplus.

What about Isaac Paredes? How about either of the New York Mets' displaced young third basemen, Mark Vientos or Brett Baty? Can Boston pull off another trade with the Cardinals and land Brendan Donovan? Is there some mystery player out there we haven't heard pop up in the rumor mill yet?

To be fair, Bregman leaves big shoes to fill in Boston, and not all of the potential options listed above are equivalent. That's not what matters, though. What is important is that even a team whose owner has become unfocused and stingy as his attention has been drawn to pursuits outside of the Red Sox, in addition to a chief executive whose smugness led to the club trading away noted Yankee-killer Rafael Devers, lost the player whom they brought in to replace him a few short months later and are taking upgrading their roster seriously.

Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman are just resting on their laurels. Since Cody Bellinger re-signed, two alleged Yankees' trade targets, Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore, have come off the board, and it doesn't appear that either was ever close to heading to New York. The whispers of any other pinstriped acquisitions have become deadly silent.

New York still has a lot of needs. A right-handed-hitting infielder would make a lot of sense. Another starting pitcher would fall somewhere between necessity and luxury. Remembering the bullpen exists would be prudent. Heck, even a backup catcher upgrade (a righty, please) would be welcomed.

Right now, it seems more likely that Brian Cashman makes a move to subtract payroll, rather than take any more on via free agency or a trade. That doesn't bode well.

We could quickly see this iteration of the Yankees get lapped by the field. The product last season wasn't championship caliber, and there's an argument to be made that it is even weaker now. Meanwhile, their rivals keep getting better, and the greatest nemesis of all is threatening. Will another big Boston trade inspire a Yankees response, as it used to during the days of yore? Don't bet on it.