Article: Can the Red Sox Stomach Another Big 3 Trade?

[Alex Mayes]

In a shock to most people, Kyle Teel was the first major prospect shipped out by the Red Sox this past offseason. Could another member of the Big Three be on their way to another organization at some point?

In a small sample size, trading for playoff-caliber starter Garrett Crochet has panned out nicely for the Red Sox. Boston dipped into their rebuilt farm system to land a starter that they feel can anchor their starting rotation for years to come. Specifically, they built a trade package around top prospect Kyle Teel. Teel has yet to make his major league debut with the White Sox, but the backstop should see big league action at some point during the 2025 season given the way he's decimated pitching in the upper levels of the minor leagues in recent years. Seeing the success Crochet has had in Boston so far, I began to wonder if the Red Sox could stomach trading another member of the Big Three to land another superstar to either add more depth to the starting rotation or upgrade another defensive spot.

In short, the answer is no.

Kristian Campbell won’t be going anywhere after breaking camp with the big league, signing an incredibly team-friendly extension, and playing terrific baseball more often than not since the start of the season. He’s been a consistent player on the field early in his career and is the type of player that the future core can be built around. He will come into his own at second base throughout the season, and his bat is playing well against big league pitching, something that rookies often struggle with. I’m sure we will see him hit a slump at some point this season, but it shouldn’t give anyone pause for concern.

The same can be said for Roman Anthony. As I’ve already written, he needs to be on the big league roster now. He has nothing left to prove at Triple-A and needs to be getting regular at bats in the big leagues. Yes, he likely would command the largest trade package back for any of the Big Three prospects (i.e., he'd be the biggest centerpiece the Red Sox could offer in a blockbuster trade), but he’s a homegrown talent and should produce for years in Boston. Keeping him on the roster is a no brainer. Once he’s called up, there will be points where he struggles. That’s okay. Let him finish working out his game against the type of pitching he’s going to face for the rest of his career. If he’s as quick of a learner as he's shown thus far in the minor leagues, he won’t have issues for long. We all know the Red Sox have made the mistake of trading a generational outfielder before — don't plan on it happening again.

Finally, Marcello Mayer is likely to be forcing his way onto the big league roster by the 2026 season at the latest. There’s a case to be made that Trevor Story’s improved offense makes Mayer a bit redundant right now, but Story isn’t getting younger and has opt-outs built into his contract. If he keeps producing like he currently is, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him take an opt-out to try and chase more money from another team that could use his veteran presence. Should Story get injured though, we’ll likely see Mayer be the next prospect called up to the big leagues as the replacement. All that being said, of the three players here, he seems the most likely to go, if only because his ceiling is lower than that of Campbell's and Anthony's.

Personally, I don’t think any one player should be untouchable when it comes to trade talks. Other teams can put together packages that can blow the front office away to guarantee a deal gets done. We’ve seen it happen before in baseball. If a team were to approach the Red Sox with an offer for any of the Big Three that is centered around an All-Star caliber, controllable pitcher, then yes, the Red Sox likely would entertain that deal. If I were a betting man, and I do enjoy taking trips to Las Vegas, I’d wager that the Big Three all remain in the system for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, we see them all on the diamond for the big league club sooner rather than later.

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[Hugh2]

To me Anthony should be untouchable.  You will never get back in return what his ceiling is right now and he's doing everything to make you believe he's going to reach it.  At 20 years old he's already hitting the ball much harder than even an above average leaguer.  

If he pans out, he's going to be a contender for MVP's

[Nick]

Story's injury history and Bregman possibly opting out, I would hang onto Mayer.

Anthony has higher ceiling than our current outfielders Duran, Rafaela and Abreu. 

Would you give up Anthony, Mayer and Fitts for Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh?

[Alex Mayes]

1 hour ago, Nick said:

Story's injury history and Bregman possibly opting out, I would hang onto Mayer.

Anthony has higher ceiling than our current outfielders Duran, Rafaela and Abreu. 

Would you give up Anthony, Mayer and Fitts for Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh?

This is the only type of deal where the Red Sox listen to an offer on Anthony or Mayer, even Campbell. 

[Alex Mayes]

3 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

To me Anthony should be untouchable.  You will never get back in return what his ceiling is right now and he's doing everything to make you believe he's going to reach it.  At 20 years old he's already hitting the ball much harder than even an above average leaguer.  

If he pans out, he's going to be a contender for MVP's

Absolutely agree about Anthony if he pans out, and we have every reason to believe he likely will. I agree with the comment below your original one too though. If the Pirates offer you Skenes for a package built around Anthony, you have to consider it. That won't happen, but that's the type of deal I had in mind when I wrote the final paragraph.

[Hugh2]

38 minutes ago, Alex Mayes said:

Absolutely agree about Anthony if he pans out, and we have every reason to believe he likely will. I agree with the comment below your original one too though. If the Pirates offer you Skenes for a package built around Anthony, you have to consider it. That won't happen, but that's the type of deal I had in mind when I wrote the final paragraph.

I'm laughing because I was almost going to say, unless it's someone like Skenes I'm hanging up the phone if anyone comes calling for Anthony. 

[mvp 78]

No players are untouchable, but there isn't a real world return that would be worth it to trade Anthony. I don't believe PITT is going to send Skenes to BOS. There's theoretically a package that could make sense for Skenes to not be untouchable to PITT. I feel similar for Mayer at this moment. If Story goes down (likelihood is still high), they don't have any other SS's anywhere close to MLB ready. Arias is in Low A still. If the Sox are realistically trying to compete this season, they can't just get rid of their depth at a very important defensive position like that when there's been a lot of volatility at that spot in recent years. 

[sk7326]

nobody is untouchable - though Mayer is likely the most touchable of the 3 ... just with injury history and whatnot.  But the trade has to be a big deal ... like if Sandy Alcantara is healthy, that sort of dude.  But it is a very short list.  

[moonslav59]

I could see trading one of the top 3, but not two, even if for Skenes, despite his 4 years of control at pre-arb & arb prices. I'd love to have the guy, for sure. I could see giving up Mayer, Abreu, Fitts and Dobbins or Mayer, Duran and a pitcher. I'm not sure PIT wants Abreu or Duran as their arb costs will be on the rise, soon.

Would you trade Mayer, Kelly and Wong for O'Hoppe, Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers? 

[mvp 78]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I could see trading one of the top 3, but not two, even if for Skenes, despite his 4 years of control at pre-arb & arb prices. I'd love to have the guy, for sure. I could see giving up Mayer, Abreu, Fitts and Dobbins or Mayer, Duran and a pitcher. I'm not sure PIT wants Abreu or Duran as their arb costs will be on the rise, soon.

Would you trade Mayer, Kelly and Wong for O'Hoppe, Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers? 

No. O'Hoppe doesn't have a very good glove. The only way I'm making that trade for a catcher is if a franchise guy is coming back.