The Boston Red Sox plan to buy ahead of the upcoming trade deadline, but the team has quite a few decisions to make in the short time until then.
Which needs the Red Sox will prioritize and which teams they'll trade with to accomplish their goals remains to be seen, but no matter what they do at the trade deadline, they will need to clear 40-man roster spots for the new acquisitions. Roster spots could open via trades, options or designations for assignment.
3 Red Sox who will be off the 40-man roster by the trade deadline
Jhostynxon Garcia
The Red Sox's outfield logjam of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder has been the subject of much trade speculation. Multiple teams reportedly have their eye on Duran or Abreu, but Boston may keep its major league outfield intact for the rest of this season. If it does, Jhostynxon Garcia could be its prime trade candidate.
The Red Sox added Garcia to the 40-man roster over the winter to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, which paid off for the organization. Garcia has posted a breakout season between Double-A and Triple-A, and he's recently cracked multiple top-100 prospect lists. He's batting .276/.363/.463 with an .826 OPS, 11 doubles, three triples, 12 homers and 44 RBI in 76 games.
Garcia's recent success and new top prospect status could make him a great return for other clubs interested in trading with Boston. Trading him would also open a roster spot for one of the Sox's deadline additions, although it shouldn't be done hastily.
Connor Wong
It's time for the Red Sox to admit that Connor Wong hasn't worked out. The catcher brought Boston a glimmer of hope after the disastrous Mookie Betts trade when he posted a breakout season last year (.280/.333/.425 in 126 games), but he's failed to even approach his previous level of offensive production.
Wong is batting .144/.228/.144 through 36 games this year, with just one RBI and no extra-base hits to his name. He's taken 30 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and doesn't have a hit in a single one of them. Wong has become the backup to breakout rookie backstop Carlos Narváez, and it's clear why.
If the Red Sox hope to make the postseason, let alone compete there, they need someone more reliable to cover for Narváez on off days or if he gets injured. Narváez is a rookie and he's never played more than six games in the big leagues — he's played 77 so far, and there's a lot of season left. The Red Sox need another catcher to keep Narváez afloat, and Wong hasn't met the mark.
David Hamilton
The Red Sox on July 11 demoted David Hamilton to Triple-A after Alex Bregman's activation from his two-month quad injury. There were rumors that Boston would send Marcelo Mayer down instead, but it ultimately made the right choice to keep its top prospect in the big leagues.
Hamilton had been on the active roster since Opening Day and he's had a disastrous season at the plate in the big leagues. He slashed .179/.229/.276 with 31 strikeouts and just seven walks in 62 appearances, which won't cut it in the second half of the season.
With Mayer, Trevor Story, Kristian Campbell and Romy Gonzalez as options in the middle infield, it doesn't make sense for Hamilton to continue to hold a roster spot. His elite speed and improved defense could get him thrown into a trade package before the deadline, if the Red Sox are lucky.