What MLB writers have the Red Sox giving up in a potential Shohei Ohtani trade
If the Angels decide to trade Ohtani, it could be one of the biggest trades in the history of the sport.
If the Red Sox plan on winning the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, their blossoming farm system is due to take a major hit.
As the Angels weigh whether or not to trade their two-way superstar ahead of MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline, multiple outlets have crafted potential trade offers that the Red Sox could pitch to Los Angeles in an attempt to pry Ohtani out from the West Coast.
Even though Ohtani could be just a rental given his pending free agency this winter, his immense talent will warrant a hefty return in any potential deal.
Fox Sports’ MLB staff proposed that the Red Sox trade a slew of their best young players and prospects, offering Marcelo Mayer, Brayan Bello, Nick Yorke, and Ceddanne Rafaela for Ohtani.
“Boston would have to push an extremely strong offer in the Angels’ direction, and it all starts with Mayer,” Fox Sports’ MLB writers wrote on a potential offer for Ohtani. “The 20-year-old shortstop is a top-three prospect in baseball with an enormous ceiling as a potential five-tool player.
“Pair him with Yorke, who has been turning heads since he handled the jump to Double-A, and Los Angeles would be looking at a dynamic duo up the middle for several years to come. Throw in Rafaela and the Red Sox could be competitive in the Ohtani bidding while, of course, mortgaging their future for what could be just a two-month rental. But it doesn’t hurt to dream.”
That certainly would be a haul to give up for the Red Sox, with Mayer as the top prize.
The shortstop has been viewed as one of the best prospects in baseball since the Red Sox drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Mayer was recently ranked as the eighth-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America and the third-best prospect by The Athletic’s Keith Law. He struggled a bit in his first bit of time at Double-A Portland when he was called up in late May, hitting .186 in June. But he’s been better in July, hitting .271 with a .730 OPS plus a homer and six RBIs in 12 games.
Yorke, who the Red Sox took in the first round of the 2020 draft, isn’t rated as highly since he’s slipped in some prospect rankings. Still, the 21-year-old has hit well with Portland this season, posting a .269 batting average and a .789 batting average to go along with nine homers as he earned a spot in the Futures Game.
Rafaela has climbed up prospect lists over the last year due to his defense in center field, earning the No. 48 overall ranking on Law’s list. He’s hit .297 with a .830 OPS over his stops with Portland and Triple-A Worcester this season.
Giving up Bello would also be a blow to the Red Sox. The 24-year-old right-hander has arguably already proven to be the best pitcher the team has developed over the last 15 years, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.60 ERA this season.
Even though Boston still boasts a few other blue-chip prospects in its system like Roman Anthony and Miguel Bleis, giving up just a potential ace in Bello and franchise shortstop in Mayer is a hefty price, even with adding two promising players in Rafaela and Yorke.
Still, the Red Sox would be getting at least two months of Ohtani in return for all of that. Ohtani might be in the midst of the greatest season in the sport, holding a .302 batting average with a league-best 35 homers entering Sunday.
In addition to having MVP frontrunner numbers at the plate, Ohtani’s had a Cy Young candidate-worthy season on the mound. He’s gone 8-5 with a 3.71 ERA with a league-best 6.3 hits allowed per nine innings pitched in 19 starts.
That’s why David Ortiz recently told Boston.com’s Khari Thompson that he would be perfectly fine with the Red Sox trading for Ohtani, but only under a certain condition.
“I don’t think it’s worth it to trade for him, giving up four, five, six prospects for him just for two months,” Ortiz said. “It doesn’t make sense. They already signed Rafael [Devers] to a big deal. I don’t think they’re going to be walking in that direction for a minute. Remember, we have limitations with the payroll, having a high payroll. So getting Ohtani with two months or whatever left in the season doesn’t make sense.”
MLB.com’s Molly Burkhardt proposed a much lighter deal on the Red Sox’ end: Mayer for Ohtani straight-up.
“If Boston wants to hold the line on Mayer, it’ll have to dip deeply into that newly improved system, something the Red Sox are likely to be unwilling to do for only a few months of Ohtani,” Burkhardt wrote. “The alternative, however, might be even harder to swallow — giving up high performers at the MLB level.
“So, would Boston instead throw out an aggressive one-for-one deal for Ohtani? If they dangled Mayer, would that be enough to entice the Angels? It might be their best option to avoid raiding the Major League team or crushing their farm system,” Burkhardt added.
While that’s a much more palatable trade offer for the Red Sox than the one Fox Sports laid out, there obviously still is a lot of risk involved for Boston in potentially giving up a heralded prospect for just two months of a player.
It also remains to be seen what the Red Sox’ approach will be at the trade deadline. Even though Boston entered Sunday tied for last place in the AL East, it also holds a 52-47 record and is just two games back of the final playoff spot.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com