It took long enough, but the Boston Red Sox finally called up Roman Anthony. The consensus No. 1 prospect in the majors will start his career playing in right field, filling in for the injured Wilyer Abreu. Just as Alex Bregman's injury created a short-term solution, allowing Marcelo Mayer to make his MLB debut, Anthony is a short-term solution while the Red Sox's outfield is still jammed.
Three award-caliber players were blocking Anthony's path the majors, Jarren Duran, Ceddane Rafaela, and Abreu. Those three needed to be making regular starts, even if it meant keeping the 21-year-old in the minors for much longer than needed. Now that he's here, though, someone needs to go. A trade is imminent, using one of the three "vets", but where they go, and who they go for, is now the question.
There a three ways Craig Breslow can approach this. He can do short-term gain, a vet on an expiring deal, or with one more year of control, medium-term gain, a player with similar years of control to the traded player who can develop with the current squad, or long-term gain, acquiring prospects to supplement a farm system that will graduate its top three players this season. Here's one for each:
4 Players the Red Sox should trade for using their surplus of outfield talent
Short-Term: Freddy Peralta & Rhys Hoskins
The Milwaukee Brewers currently sit above .500 and are in the race for a Wild Card spot. This hasn't stopped them from doing some buying and selling at the trade deadline before. Hoskins is a pure rental but would fit perfectly in the Sox's lineup and has plenty of playoff experience. Peralta has one more year of team control after 2025. He currently owns an ERA under 3.00 and fills a much-needed hole in the starting rotation.
A package for these two would probably require Abreu. He is coming off a rookie season in which he won the Gold Glove in right field. He took a step up in 2025, showing improved hitting against lefties and a big jump in power before going down with an oblique injury. He has four years left of team control after 2025. He could probably be dealt without any supplemental prospects for those two.
Medium-Term: Bryce Miller
Despite having a down 2025, Bryce Miller showed a lot of promise in his first full season in 2024. He is currently on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, which was likely affecting his pitching this season. Pitching is a big need for Boston, and acquiring a potential future ace like Miller would help now and down the road. He is entering his first of four arbitration years (he is a Super Two player) this offseason, meaning he's under team control until 2029. We also know Breslow had an interest in him last offseason.
Acquiring Miller would likely mean departing with Duran. Seattle is in their winning window now and they would want a bona fide star to add to their lineup. With multiple years of control, Duran would come with a steep price tag, but a swap of him for Miller could make a lot of sense for both squads.
Long Term: Dalton Rushing
Rushing is currently MLB Pipelines' No. 15 prospect. He plays for the Dodgers and is a catcher who can play a little left field. Trading for a prospect means Boston is selling, and if it goes that way, getting another excellent catcher to replace Connor Wong is not a bad idea. Rushing is a lefty and could easily split time with Carlos Narváez, and make some spot starts in left field to give someone a day off. He would create one of the most exciting catching tandems in all of baseball.
A move for Rushing likely would be in a deal for Duran. If Boston is selling, it's more likely to get rid of the guy who is closest to free agency. The Dodgers could use an outfielder, as the Michael Conforto experiment hasn't gone well. Duran could easily fill left field for them and be an explosive bat in their lineup. Trading him away would open left field for Anthony, the position the Sox were playing him the most in the minors.