by If you want to bring top quality to your ballclub, you will have to make concessions.
Craig Breslow admitted this in December 2024 when he acquired star Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, although in exchange for a bunch of young players, including Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel, two of the top 100 prospects.
And the Red Sox will have to pay a hefty price once more if they want to add more talent before Thursday in order to prepare for a second-half surge.
Breslow has a limited amount of time to add reinforcements for a Red Sox team hoping to earn a playoff berth for the first time since 2021, as MLB’s trade deadline is set for Thursday at 6 p.m.
As Boston considers dealing from a wealth of outfield resources to support other areas of the club, big-league regulars like Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran have already heard their names out on the trade market.
Harvesting from the team’s productive farm system is Breslow’s most likely route to acquiring big-league talent, though, since Boston is allegedly not eager to trade Duran before Thursday.
Roman Anthony, one of baseball’s best young players, is unlikely to be traded by the Red Sox, and Marclo Mayer is recovering from a wrist injury as well.
Breslow and his crew may put a number of other names on the market in the hopes that another team will take notice, even if those two elite players are off the table.
The Red Sox might cut these four prospects before the deadline on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Jhostynxon Garcia, OF
Garcia is most likely to be traded before Thursday’s deadline if there is a top Red Sox prospect.
That’s not a criticism of the talented outfielder, who was ranked No. 46 in baseball by Keith Law of The Athletic and No. 89 on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top 100 prospects.
However, given the stalemate the Red Sox are facing in their big-league outfield, Garcia, who is batting.291 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 50 games thus far with Worcester, is struggling to produce in Boston.
Due in major part to Boston’s overabundance of outfielders, Duran has already been brought up several times in trade speculations. With only three starting places up for grabs, the Red Sox have four established talents: Duran, Anthony, Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela.
It may be wise asset management for Boston to trade the outfielder in exchange for a starter or relief pitcher, especially because Garcia is already having a difficult time making the major league roster, let alone getting playing time.
Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF
A sad twist of fate would be if the first of those prospects to make their Major League debut this season was the one sent packing in a blockbuster trade. He is the second member of Boston’s Big Three prospect triumvirate, along with Anthony and Mayer.
Campbell, who won AL Rookie of the Month in April before his offensive approach at the plate fragmented over the next two months, is an offensive danger that the Red Sox would ideally like to cling onto.
Campbell’s season has been mixed, and his defensive shortcomings and plate regression have sparked some debate about whether he is a Boston franchise mainstay or a tempting trade commodity if the team decides to cut bait.
After Mayer suffered a wrist injury, the Red Sox decided not to call up Campbell, allowing the 23-year-old to continue to develop in the minor leagues.
Given the team-friendly eight-year, $60 million contract he signed this spring, Campbell would provide Boston with plenty of value for the foreseeable future if he were to rediscover his efficiency as an impact bat.
During his nine-game hitting run, Kristian Campbell is.429/.500/.714/1.21415-for-351 2B, 3 HR20 K%12.5 BB%.525 wOBA219 wRC+.Since his demotion, he has improved his Triple-A line to.267/.398/.438/.836 in 29 games. He also made 16 appearances at 1B in those games.Pcko7ot1aL can be found on Twitter.
If Breslow decides to pull the trigger, Campbell might be the focal point of a significant comeback. However, if the Red Sox are serious about letting Campbell leave, they would have to be blown away by an offer.
Franklin Arias, SS
Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell’s big-league additions appear to have already reloaded the Red Sox farm system.
Additionally, Arias is leading Boston’s next generation of gifted youth. Even though the 19-year-old shortstop hasn’t advanced past High-A Greenville at this point in his career, Law already regards the elite-fielding infielder as his No. 9 baseball prospect.
Arias is a poised young player who may anchor an infield for the foreseeable future because to his combination of excellent defensive play, speed, and solid contact rates.
You give it your all when you have the opportunity to catch a home run hit by the Red Sox’s top prospect.Two young fans compete for the memento after Franklin Arias throws a large fly onto the berm for the @GreenvilleDrive.kUcwT4HeIM pic.twitter.com/
However, the numbers could not favor Arias in Boston, just like they did with Garcia. The center of Boston’s infield appears to be set for the foreseeable future with Trevor Story and Mayer already in place, particularly if a top glove like Rafaela keeps getting infield time.
Beyond that, Arias’ growth timeline does not precisely align with a window of contention that may be seeking to cash in within the next three to four years, so he is still probably a few years away from actually contending for the majors.
Arias, a talented shortstop, might be the asking price if the Red Sox want to add a cost-controlled player with a term before Thursday night. He could yield a significant return.
Payton Tolle, LHP
Over the past few years, the Red Sox’s prospect system has produced some elite players.
The Red Sox have struggled over the years due to a lack of impact pitchers from within the club, despite the fact that Anthonys, Rafaelas, and other position players are now flourishing in the major leagues.
After just a few time in the system, Tolle has already established himself as Boston’s top pitching prospect, suggesting that he could be the long-awaited exception.
The 6-foot-6 pitcher, who was selected by Boston in the second round of the 2024 draft out of TCU, is already outperforming every new opponent. Tolle has excelled with Double-A Portland, recording a 1.96 ERA during five outings (four starts) and striking out 31 batters in 23 innings of work after displaying a 3.62 ERA over 11 games with Low-A Salem this season.
Pure filth5 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 1 BB | 4 KM Payton TolleThe Double-A@PortlandSeaDogs’ No. 94 prospect in LB (@RedSox) has a 1.96 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched.pic.twitter.com/jy6fIypPjd
Given his powerful physique, Tolle appears to be an innings-eating lefty who could have established himself as a reliable No. 3 or No. 4 starter in the major leagues. However, Tolle’s swing-and-miss skills and solid play against more formidable opponents give fans hope that he could become a real top-of-the-rotation force.
He might be a desirable target on Thursday because of that high ceiling. On the other hand, even though it would benefit them now, the Red Sox might not want to trade with their top pitching prospect for a while.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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