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Watson was drafted in the Rule 5 draft by the A’s, but his chance to make his MLB mark will come with Boston. The 28-year-old will need to pitch well this spring to have any shot of making the Opening Day roster.

He’ll be traded to the Red Sox for infielder Justin Riemer, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The 28-year-old Watson has been a steady minor league reliever for several years, but it wasn’t enough to get him a chance with the Orioles or with the Giants, who acquired him in Aug. 2024. He had a 4.26 ERA and a 64/16 K/BB in 50 2/3 innings for the Giants’ Triple-A club last season.

Paez missed much of 2025, but he had a 2.79 ERA and a 23/3 K/BB in 19 1/3 innings over seven starts for High-A Greenville. While he’s been a starter in the minors, he’s yet to throw more than 85 innings in a season. The White Sox figure to try him as a reliever and see if he can make the jump at age 22.

The big surprise here is Seager since his name hasn’t come up at all in trade discussions this offseason. It’s abundantly clear that the Red Sox, who have a surplus of young big-league caliber pitching prospects to deal, are planning to upgrade at either second or third base this offseason since they’ve been active in trade discussions for multiple targets while also pursuing free agents Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suárez. Get your popcorn ready.

Ken Rosenthal adds that the Reds, essentially Schwarber’s hometown team, were at about $125 million for five years. The Reds probably won’t make a similar offer to any other free agent, but the Orioles are still on the prowl, with Kyle Tucker, Pete Alonso, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez all on their list.

Jackson hit .310/.402/.630 with 18 homers in 60 games as a Junior at Arizona State before the Angels drafted him in the eighth round this year. Time will tell if he turns out to be a legitimate prospect, but the Red Sox were at least able to get a little something for a player they didn’t want to continue to carry on the 40-man. Doing the trade now means the team has room to make a pick in Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft if it so desires.

Outfield Isaiah Jackson, an eighth-round pick in the 2025 draft, is the return, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. Grissom is out of options and the Red Sox were going to need to open a couple of more 40-man roster spots, so a trade here seemed like a lock. Grissom didn’t appear in the majors last season and finished at .270/.342/.441 in 96 games for Triple-A Worcester. His contact ability still might allow him to resemble an adequate regular if he can stay healthy, but it’s been a challenge lately. He figures to battle Christian Moore and Kyren Paris for the starting job at second in Anaheim, with Moore perhaps sliding to third if both he and Grissom impress.

Arozarena went 9-for-20 with a homer and nine RBI in the 2023 WBC. Duran played behind Alek Thomas in center and finished 0-for-5. He’ll of course be a starter this time. In 2023, the other outfield spot went to Alex Verdugo, so a change is probably coming there. Perhaps young Rangers outfielder Alejandro Osuna could join the mix.

He’ll make $925,000 if he’s in the majors. Gamboa, 28, was the Dodgers’ ninth-round pick in 2019 and pitched in their farm system until last May, when he made his way to Korea. He wound up 7-8 with a 3.58 ERA and a 117/49 K/BB in 108 innings over 19 starts with Lotte. He’s always been able to generate groundballs, and he could prove to be of some use in middle relief.

The Red Sox want to bring Alex Bregman back to play third base, but they are also pursuing Bo Bichette and Isaac Paredes for the same role. The Astros are in the market for young pitchers with multiple years of control, and the Red Sox have plenty, so the teams could align on a deal, especially since Carlos Correa can play third base in Houston now. Paredes missed much of the second half of the season with a hamstring injury, but he’s under team control for two more seasons, makes under $10 million per year, and has a pulled fly ball approach that would work well in Fenway Park.