Red Sox Pull Off Blockbuster: $56 Million All-Star Headed to Boston in Stunning Trade
With spring training drawing to a close, the Boston Red Sox haven’t had the ideal start to the season from a starting pitching perspective.
Throughout the past few weeks, untimely news about the health of the Red Sox’s starting pitchers has continually leaked out. Kutter Crawford is out to begin the season with a knee issue. Same for Brayan Bello and his sore shoulder. Then, earlier this week, Lucas Giolito tweaked his hamstring.
All of that means three of the projected six rotation options will start the season on the injured list. Hopefully, all three can come back in short order, but there’s no way to predict health, especially for pitchers who currently aren’t fully healthy.
Because they appear to be all in on this season, the Red Sox could consider trading for a superstar starter at some point. And there’s no more coveted trade option this season than Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the unanimous 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner.
On Friday, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer named the Red Sox as one of five realistic trade suitors for Alcantara. For Boston to land the 29-year-old righty, Rymer proposed a package of right fielder Wilyer Abreu, who won a Gold Glove as a rookie last year, and shortstop prospect Franklin Arias.
“(The injuries are) just one reason to keep an eye on Boston as a potential player for Alcantara. The other is that the team has more young bats than it has space for, something the Marlins would probably be all too happy to help with.”
“Abreu isn’t a “star,” per se, but the 25-year-old is a Gold Glove winner with a .842 OPS against right-handers for his two seasons. Put him on the Marlins, and he’s arguably their best player. Arias, 19, is a long way from the majors, but he projects as a quality hitter who plays plus defense at shortstop.”
The Marlins are guaranteed to have robust interest in Alcantara, whose team-friendly $56 million deal runs through 2026, with a $21 million club option for 2027. And the Red Sox aren’t likely to give up any of their top three prospects at this point (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, or Marcelo Mayer).
Abreu and Arias is still a very attractive package in a vacuum. One is an established good big-leaguer, something all prospects hope to become, while another has the potential to be a two-way standout at one of the game’s most important defensive positions.
But will that offer be enough to land Alcantara when other pitching-needy teams (see: New York Yankees, New York Mets) will surely be interested. It’s too early to say now, but there’s a good chance we’ll find that out in the coming months.
