Red Sox Breakout Star Prospect Named As 'Trade Bait' Ahead Of Winter Meetings

Has this youngster already played his last game with the Red Sox?

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The big move still hasn't come for the Boston Red Sox, but everyone across Major League Baseball seems to be shaking with anticipation.

Boston is talking a big game about spending this winter after largely sitting out the last two offseasons. Signing expensive free agents would be one way to validate the chatter, but a blockbuster trade could be another.

The Red Sox's main need is starting pitching, and because the organization has a strong preference for younger talent these days, it seems feasible that they could acquire their next ace via trade. But to get something good, you have to give up something good.

These days, Boston is flush with prospects, a credit to the work done by ex-Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom down on the farm. But someone is going to have to get traded if the Red Sox are going to bring in a young ace, and one recent report singles out a specific prospect as "trade bait."

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named Red Sox minor-league shortstop Franklin Arias, the publication's 90th-ranked prospect, as one of the 10 most likely trade candidates among all prospects this winter.

"The 19-year-old (Arias) does not project to be much of a power threat, but he has an advanced hit tool and is a sure-fire shortstop defensively," Reuter said.

"With Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela both signed long-term and rising prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell both knocking on the MLB door, the Red Sox could trade from an area of strength to address their need for pitching with Arias as the centerpiece."

Arias spent about two-thirds of his season in the Florida Complex League, then graduated to Low-A Salem. His numbers took a considerable hit once he got promoted, but he should have more time to acclimate in 2025. Across both levels, he slashed .309/.409/.487 in 314 at-bats.

At such a young age, Arias is clearly still a project, which would appeal to teams like the Chicago White Sox that are so early in their rebuilds that they don't expect to contend for several years.

In other words? If Garrett Crochet winds up traded to the Red Sox this winter, it seems a safe bet that Arias will be one of the prospects included in the return.

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