Red Sox's Top-10 Prospect Is 'Most Likely' To Be Traded, Per Latest Report

You've gotta give up something good to get something good...

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

Trade talk is all the rage around the Boston Red Sox these days.

Boston needs starting pitching, and the best way to get an ace this winter could be via trade. The trade market has younger arms who the Red Sox could build their future around, such as the Chicago White Sox's Garrett Crochet, who has been a popular name thrown around as a possible target.

If the Red Sox are going to get someone like Crochet, though, they obviously won't be able to do it for pennies on the dollar. Teams are going to ask for one of the Red Sox's "Big 4" prospects--outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, catcher Kyle Teel, and utility man Kristian Campbell.

While the Red Sox might want to hang onto all four, they seem to be more inclined to listen to offers on one prospect in particular. Christopher Smith of MassLive recently reported that the Red Sox would most likely consider trading Mayer, who has suffered season-ending injuries each of the last two seasons, out of the "Big 4."

"Boston prefers to hold onto all four but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said they are not untouchable. Teams willing to trade frontline starters likely would view it as a non-starter in trade conversations if the Red Sox aren’t even willing to listen on the Big Four," Breslow said.

Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, likely is the member of the Big Four who the Red Sox would be most willing to trade. An MLB scout described him as a 'future five-tool All-Star potential' and a shortstop who could have 'above-average impact on both sides of the ball.'"

Mayer, 21, currently ranks seventh on MLB.com's Top 100 overall prospects list. He had a fantastic season before his lower back injury stopped him from playing in August or September, putting up an .850 OPS with 36 extra-base hits in 77 games.

Losing Mayer would be difficult because he was the first prospect driving Red Sox fans' excitement about the farm system in recent years. His selection in the first round of 2021 was followed closely by Anthony in 2022 and Teel and Campbell in 2023.

However, in baseball, you've got to give up something good to get something good. Losing Mayer could easily come back to hurt the Red Sox, but it may be the only path to getting what they need to become legitimate contenders.

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