The Boston Red Sox are expected to take an aggressive approach at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, emboldened by the renewed hope that their 15-game winning streak brought in their title chances.
But it will likely cost the team heavily to make the targeted additions, with one MLB insider predicting they will need to deal a “prized” prospect before the deadline.
Franklin Arias Could Hit Trade Block This Week
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Red Sox are among the most likely teams to make a splash before the August 3 deadline, suggesting they could target Miami Marlins stars Liam Hicks and Otto Lopez.
Matt Sullivan of The Sporting News agreed that it would be a blockbuster deal, but could come at a very high cost to Boston’s pipeline of prospects.
Landing Hicks and Lopez in one trade would be a huge upgrade for the Red Sox roster, but the price tag of such a deal would be exorbitant,” Sullivan wrote. “Passan pitched using Marcelo Mayer and young pitching talent, or even parting with prized prospect Franklin Arias to land the Marlins’ duo.”
Franklin Arias on Torrid Rise Through Red Sox Farm System
The Red Sox have been moving Arias through their farm system this season, moving the shortstop to Triple-A Worcester. After an 0-for-8 start, Arias crushed a home run in his first at-bat on Wednesday.
As reporter Billy Heyen of NESN noted, the faith the Red Sox showed in Arias paid off.
“It’s exactly what the Red Sox would want to see out of Arias on multiple levels,” Heyen wrote. “For one, it displays an ability to bounce back from a couple of less-than-ideal days at the plate. It also shows that Triple-A pitching wasn’t going to slow down this phenomenal prospect for long. Arias is a top-10 prospect in baseball, one of the most highly regarded young players the sport has to offer.”
The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey noted that Arias is still not likely to reach Boston this season, but his future remains hazy as the Red Sox have a logjam at shortstop even before the trade acquisition of Curtis Mead.
“One curiosity at this deadline is that league sources have indicated the Red Sox are still pursuing upgrades at shortstop,” McCaffrey wrote. “That was the case even before Mead broke his wrist. The Red Sox view Arias as a future shortstop, but they already have Trevor Story about a month away from returning from sports hernia surgery. Thatâs not including Marcelo Mayer, also on the injury list with a forearm stress reaction.”
The Red Sox have been connected to some other top targets ahead of the trade deadline, so both Mayer and Arias could be on the trade block as partners seek the best possible return.
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