The Athletics recently announced the hiring of Taylor Smith as their president of baseball operations. For those unfamiliar with the name, Smith played a key role in the Boston Red Sox front office as an assistant general manager over the past few seasons. He was hired by Craig Breslow before the start of the 2025 season.
Given Smith’s familiarity with the farm system, it would be far from a surprise if he reached out to Breslow in an attempt to swipe up some prospects he might have had his eye on. Breslow also has a history of trading with former Red Sox execs, like Chaim Bloom of the St. Louis Cardinals and Paul Toboni of the Washington Nationals, another former AGM under Breslow.
Who could Smith target? Let’s try to take a couple of shots in the dark.
3 Red Sox prospects Taylor Smith could target in trades as A's new PBO
Mikey Romero - 3B/2B (Triple-A)
I love Mikey Romero, and because of that, I kind of want him out of the system. It’s pretty clear the Red Sox don’t have plans for him. They’ve blocked him at every possible opportunity. He should go somewhere he can get a chance to flourish.
His surface numbers in Triple-A were underwhelming last season (.680 OPS). However, the 22-year-old saw a drastic drop in his strikeout percentage from the prior season (27% to 21%) and a rise in his walk rate (7% to 8.2%). Romero also posted an average extra velocity of 90.3, which was in the 89th percentile. It’s fair to say he simply wasn’t getting very lucky in 2026.
A lot of teams would probably be foaming at the mouth for a left-handed hitting middle infielder who has 20-plus home run potential. Smith might view Romero as someone he can get for relatively cheap, as the Red Sox don’t seem to know what to do with him.
Owen Hull - OF (High-A)
Owen Hull was the 67th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft for the Red Sox, and wow, was he impressive in his minor league debut.
There’s one issue — he’s a college outfielder. Hull could very well fly through the minor league system. The 22-year-old slashed .337/.436/.531 in 24 games in High-A last season. He might start there next year, but even if he does, it’s likely a short stint before being moved up to Double-A. Ending the year in Triple-A is an extremely likely scenario.
The Red Sox just had a miserable time dealing with an outfield logjam that, at the time of writing, still hasn’t been solved. Their number two prospect in the system is an outfielder (Justin Gonzales, who is in Double-A and is a freak of nature). It also doesn’t help that Hull is another left-handed-hitting outfielder.
I don’t think the Red Sox are desperate to move Hull, and they shouldn’t be. That being said, Smith knows the logjam gave them headaches and probably knows if they are willing to move recent draft picks. It’s very realistic considering how often the Red Sox have traded someone they had just drafted (i.e., Braden Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Kyson Witherspoon, Anthony Eyanson, etc.).
The Red Sox have certainly drafted with the idea of a “trade chip” before. Hull seems to be incredibly skilled, and he would be an asset in the organization. But with the outfield talent they already have, Smith could view him as a trade chip. He’s a young potential star the A’s could build around, and the Red Sox could get something shiny in return.
Gerardo Rodriguez - C (High-A)
Gerardo Rodriguez felt like a new name that doesn’t get thrown around a lot, but also makes a ton of sense. The A’s need a catcher... kind of.
Shea Langeliers is more than likely going to be traded. They were rumored to be trying to trade him before an injury ended his season last year. That probably hasn't changed their minds.
The only catchers currently on their 40-man roster outside of Langeliers are Jonah Heim and Brian Serven. Meanwhile, the only two catchers on their top 30 prospect list are Davis Diaz (No. 19) and Cole Conn (No. 21).
Rodriguez would join that prospect list. More importantly, he would be the closest to a true catcher. His offense took a step forward this year, which was a nice surprise. However, it’s the defense that’s the prize. It can carry him to Triple-A at the very least. Despite Greenville having a glut of catchers, Rodriguez spent almost all of his time on the field at the position. He caught in 56 games and played first base in 16.
Meanwhile, Diaz caught 47 games in the A’s system last year. He also played third base in 27 games, first base in 14 games, and second base in five games. That doesn’t feel like someone who will be a full-time catcher in the Majors.
But what about Conn? He caught 80 games last year and played in the outfield in 13. Much better; however, Conn is also 25 and just had his breakout season, so he doesn’t feel like a slam dunk.
Rodriguez is 20 and already making big strides. The A’s might want more of a long-term project/solution for the catcher position. With Franklin Primera’s rise, the Red Sox might not view Rodriguez as a must-have. Meanwhile, other teams could view him as a franchise catcher thanks to that defense and some offensive upside. Because of that, Boston could get some serious coin for the 2026 defensive prospect of the year.
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