Marcelo Mayer - SS
Marcelo Mayer is the top prospect in the Boston Red Sox system. That feels like enough of a reason to avoid trading him.
We didn't want to just go with the top names in the organization, though. What would be the fun in rattling off the top five and leaving it at that? Each player needed to have a reason more than just "they're good."
That's why Anthony isn't on here. He has a chance to be a generational talent, but if we went with the "he's so good it would suck to trade him" defense, that wouldn't be worth writing. There should be reasons. Mayer has the perfect reason.
Marcelo Mayer is still one of the top prospects in baseball. However, he struggled mightily after being promoted to Double-A last season. We've since learned that he suffered an injury (which kept him out a week) in High-A. That injury never really healed properly. Mayer tried to play through it, and it led to a slump.
Even with the extended slump in Double-A before he was officially shelved for the season, Mayer put up solid numbers. The left-handed hitting shortstop slashed .236/.306/.433 with 19 doubles, two triples, and 13 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He drove in 54 runs, scored 43 more, and stole nine bases in 78 games (314 at-bats).
Those are solid numbers for a 20-year-old who spent over half his season in Double-A. Factor in that he was playing injured, and you shouldn't be worried at all.
That being said, it leads to a weird stop in his travels to the Major Leagues. Marcelo Mayer is still one of the very best prospects in all of baseball. However, the Boston Red Sox minor league shortstop hasn't seen his stock lower.
Why move him now? Mayer is in a prime position for a bounce-back season, just like Nick Yorke was last year. When that bounceback happens, he'll either find his way to the Majors (or set himself up perfectly for 2025), or he'll be an extremely marketable trade chip for a superstar.
If the Red Sox wanted to trade Mayer now, he'd be the main piece in a trade for a big name. Imagine how much higher his value will be when he's not coming off a down year that saw his season end early due to injury.
Besides the trade value, you have your franchise player at a premium position. Why would you want to trade that?