MINNEAPOLIS \u2013 With a deep prospect pool and a desire to hold onto their young big-league core, the Boston Red Sox may opt to trade from their farm system this week.<\/p>\n
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has shown in the past he\u2019s willing to do so.<\/p>\n
On the final day of Winter Meetings, Breslow swung the Garrett Crochet trade, sending the club\u2019s two most recent first-rounders at the time in catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, both top 100 prospects, to Chicago as part of a four-player package for Crochet. It marked a deal that\u2019s shaped their 2025 season in many ways.<\/p>\n
That same December day, he sent one of Boston\u2019s top-20 pitching prospects, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, to the Yankees in exchange for catcher Carlos Narv\u00e1ez, who at the time was a little known rookie. Narv\u00e1ez has had a breakout season and become Boston\u2019s starter behind the plate.<\/p>\n
At the deadline last summer, Breslow traded multiple Rule 5 eligible players, including 2020 first-rounder infielder Nick Yorke.<\/p>\n
Even with Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell graduating from prospect status, the Red Sox system is still viewed by many evaluators as one of the league\u2019s strongest.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Boston\u2019s trade-deadline strategy may have shifted in recent days. Though the club has a surplus of young, big-league outfielders, there\u2019s some debate whether the team is still willing to trade from that group, particularly now that infielder Mayer\u2019s wrist injury has forced outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela to second base. That has made Jarren Duran, whose name has been popular in trade rumors, even more valuable to the Red Sox, with one National League evaluator suggesting an offseason trade of Duran may be more likely.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox had been rolling with wins in three of their last four games before a walk-off, 5-4 loss to the Twins on Monday in a rain-delayed game.<\/p>\n
What they acquire at the deadline remains to be seen, but they are likely to trade from their minor-league pool between now and Thursday at 6 p.m. Here\u2019s a look at who might in the mix:<\/p>\n
LHP Payton Tolle<\/p>\n
Tolle, Boston\u2019s second-round pick in 2024, has emerged as the best arm in the system, and owns a 1.96 ERA in five games, four starts, since being promoted to Double A earlier this year. In High A, he had posted a 3.62 ERA across 11 starts. A big, physical lefty, Tolle is the type of pitcher the Red Sox would love to further develop and have in their rotation for years to come. But Breslow has noted the desire to make the postseason this year. If trading Tolle can help get the Red Sox a proven, big-league controllable starter, it\u2019s something they\u2019d have to consider, but likely the only situation in which they\u2019d consider trading him.<\/p>\n
Likelihood: low<\/strong><\/p>\n OF Jhostynxon Garcia<\/p>\n If the Red Sox are hesitant to trade from their group of big league outfielders, Garcia has little pathway to the majors. But as the No. 46 prospect in baseball per The Athletic\u2019s Keith Law<\/a>, he\u2019s likely to garner significant interest from teams. The 22-year-old has an OPS close to .900 in roughly 50 games since being promoted to Triple A. He may be Boston\u2019s biggest trade chip for any team seeking a close-to-big-league ready position player.<\/p>\n Likelihood: high<\/strong><\/p>\n INF\/OF Kristian Campbell<\/p>\n Campbell could use more of a chance to prove himself after being demoted to Triple A in June, especially after signing a team-friendly eight-year, $60 million deal this spring. The Red Sox may still give him that chance. However, it was telling that they decided not to call him back up from Triple A when Mayer went on the injury list. Campbell wouldn\u2019t be traded easily, but as part of a package to a team looking for young, big-league ready position players, Campbell could fit.<\/p>\n