Looking at the 3 Prospects the Red Sox Traded at the MLB Trade Deadline

The trade deadline has officially passed, as the Boston Red Sox made two moves to bolster their pitching staff. Bringing in left-handed reliever Steven Matz and right-handed starter Dustin May, the team made moves that they felt will help the roster continue its pursuit of the playoffs.

But, as everyone knows, in order to get a player, you need to give something up as well. With the team reluctant to trade any player on the current 26-man roster, Craig Breslow and the rest of the front office turned towards the team’s minor league system for players to trade. Of course, sometimes, fans feel that certain players shouldn’t have been included in a deal or that maybe a player who was traded could have got the team back someone better. For that concern, we’re going to look at the prospects that were traded away.

In total, the Red Sox traded out three prospects before the 6 p.m. trade deadline on Thursday. All three of the players were ranked within MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospects within the system, with the highest ranked player being outfielder James Tibbs III who was fifth on that list.

OF James Tibbs III

Originally acquired as the “centerpiece” of the Rafael Devers’ trade on June 15, Tibbs was viewed as an already-expendable prospect. His lack of defensive versatility made it a lock that, should he make it to Fenway, he would be stuck playing left field and the occasional first base, positions that would be blocked for him by players already ahead of him on the depth chart, especially if you believe in Kristian Campbell's transition to the cold corner. To make matters worse, his best tool that was supposed to make him valuable to teams in a potential trade (his hit tool) seemed to take a step back upon being promoted to Double-A Portland once he came over from the San Francisco Giants.

In the short amount of time he was in the organization, the outfielder played in 29 games where he hit .205/.321/.268 with two doubles, a triple, one home run and seven RBIs. He also struck out 37 times (compared to drawing just 19 walks).

During his time in Boston, Tibbs made it as high as fifth on MLB Pipeline’s rankings for the team's farm system. Yet, despite the high ranking, it seemed that Boston may not have been impressed with the display Tibbs put on since arriving in mid-June. Deciding to move him to the Dodgers as one of two prospects in the deal for May, the team may have moved him while his value was at its lowest out of worry it could drop even more.

OF Zach Ehrhard

Drafted twice by Boston—the first time in the 13th round of the 2021 draft, the second time being in the fourth round of the 2024 draft out of Oklahoma State—Ehrhard worked his way into the top-30 of Boston’s prospect rankings after a struggle in his first professional games in 2024. By the time of the trade, Ehrhard made his way up to being Boston’s 27th-ranked prospect on Pipeline's list.

This season, he showed an improvement in his offensive game, splitting time between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. In 88 games before being traded, Ehrhard hit .270/.371/.434 with 23 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 45 RBIs. He also stole 23 bases, while walking 46 times and striking out 75 times.

But, just like with Tibbs, his path to Boston was blocked by a loaded outfield along with top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia ahead of him on the depth chart. Because of that, he was easy enough to move in a trade, though many were surprised to see him included as the second piece of the Dustin May deal considering many thought that Tibbs should have had enough value on his own for a rental pitcher like May.

INF Blaze Jordan

The third and final prospect moved at this year’s deadline was one who had been in the system the longest. Drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft, Jordan had become a staple in the organization, making his way up to being the 17th-ranked prospect in the Sox system by MLB Pipeline. Already, he’s been ranked as the Cardinals’ 19th-best prospect.

It comes as no surprise that Jordan was moved at the deadline, the biggest reason being that he was Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason. The Red Sox did not seem to think too highly of him either, considering their lack of desire to give him a try up in Boston despite their first base issues and his quality hitting across the entire season. There was a very high probability that some team would take him in the Rule 5 Draft and take a shot on him over the offseason (assuming the Red Sox left him unprotected off the 40-man roster). Instead, the team moved him for Steven Matz to help their bullpen.

With the absurd market conditions for relievers at the deadline, being able to get Matz for just one superfluous player may end up being a steal based on how he pitches for Boston. The Sox were likely to lose Jordan for nothing in the offseason, so instead, they were able to make a deal work where they got someone back for him.

In 88 games split between Portland and Worcester, Jordan hit .308/.377/.495 with 22 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 62 RBIs. He also walked 33 times and struck out just 38 times.