The Boston Red Sox have too many talented center fielders in their organization and too few elite pitchers.
For Boston’s baseball boss Craig Breslow, the transfer of Trevor Story would be the obvious first step – if only it were plausible.
The Red Sox will have to keep Story for now and can only hope that he gets healthy again by 2025 and either reasserts himself as an All-Star shortstop or at least gains some trade value for Breslow.
Boston has a future star under contract in Ceddanne Rafaela, who Breslow won’t give up unless someone is interested in providing a top-tier starter in exchange for a total package centered around Rafaela (Rafaela is good, but not that good… yet).
Then you have to consider the recently acquired Vaughn Grissom, as well as two highly talented young players shaking up Boston’s farm system: Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. Any or all of those three players will have to be in the major leagues in 2025 (Grissom is already there, of course), which would present manager Alex Cora with a roster problem unless Breslow can trade one or two of those players.
A few months ago, it would have seemed like sacrilege to even consider a trade for Mayer, Boston’s highly touted prospect, but times are changing.
Roman Anthony has overtaken Mayer as the Red Sox’s most promising prospect this season. The reason for this is Anthony’s steady rise combined with Mayer’s constant injuries. Additionally, Portland has a new promising shortstop who is challenging Mayer for the title of Boston’s best center field prospect: Kristian Campbell.
Some talent scouts even believe that Campbell – and not Anthony or Mayer – has already emerged as Boston’s greatest talent.
While the entire baseball world – especially Boston – hopes that Mayer will recover from his recent injury and return to peak form in 2025, Breslow currently faces a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with Mayer.
Given Boston’s desperate need for starting pitchers, could Breslow send Mayer into the winter transfer market and see what he can get with a package that includes him, especially while his stock is still high?
If a Mayer package can get the Red Sox a top-tier starter in his prime, Breslow should consider taking the punt, especially given the incredible depth of Boston’s infield and Mayer’s recent yellow card spell for health reasons.
In a worst-case scenario, Mayer’s injury-plagued 2024 will become a trend rather than an outlier, and Breslow would have sold Mayer dearly before his stocks crashed.
Should Breslow wait for Mayer to return before parting ways with such a top talent? Probably. But it can’t hurt to put him on the waiting list this winter and see what happens.
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