The Red Sox should keep Nick Yorke
The Red Sox shocked pretty much everyone when they picked Nick Yorke as an underslot pick in the 2020 draft. However, Yorke has made them look quite smart since then despite having a hiccup of a 2022 season in high-A as he dealt with several minor-ish injuries. This guy can flat out hit and he is off to a very hot start in Double-A in 2023 and could contribute in the big leagues sooner than people think.
Again, you can’t keep everyone and Boston has a bunch of up the middle types of guys and unlike Mayer, Yorke is limited defensively to basically second base or left field (and of course DH). However, the bat to ball skills with Yorke are too good to pass up on. If a starting pitcher with multiple years of control becomes available and Boston likes him enough, you probably have to include a guy like Yorke. Beyond that, they should keep him around.
The Red Sox should trade Roman Anthony
Roman Anthony is an interesting case because there is some real talent here. Anthony has some real raw power and hitting ability that is currently being masked in 2023 by a ground ball rate that is simply too high to get to any of it. Despite hitting for power, he isn’t a guy that sells out for it. He still maintains a high walk rate and he doesn’t strike out a lot. With an adjustment or two to turn these grounders into more line drives and fly balls, he could turn things around in a hurry.
That potential is what Boston would be selling teams on to use him as a trade chip of value. Moreover, Anthony is a guy that could be a key piece of a less major trade. Sure, he is a talented guy, but he doesn’t have the same level of pedigree that other guys we’ve discussed earlier and at the end of the day, Boston can’t keep all of these bats. He isn’t a throw-in kind of guy unless the trade is massive, but he is exactly the type of prospect that Boston should be looking to part with to make the big league club better.