Boston Red Sox's Most Tradable Assets for the 2014-15 Offseason
Now that the MLB season is officially over, the Boston Red Sox can start preparing for next year.
The Red Sox will try to rebound from a disappointing last-place finish in 2014 and return to their World Series-winning form of 2013. In order to do this, Boston will likely need to make a major trade or two. As presently constructed, the club's roster has an abundance of outfielders and a lack of quality major league starting pitching.
Who might the Red Sox deal, and what factors contribute to making one player more tradable than another? Obviously, success on the big league level helps; an All-Star like Yoenis Cespedes is clearly a desirable commodity to other teams.
However, potential and affordability may be of even greater value on the trade market. Top prospects Mookie Betts and Henry Owens, who are under long-term franchise control at a reasonable price, figure to be very easy to move—if that's something the Red Sox are inclined to do.
And finally, nobody cracks this list without at least some logical reason to be dealt, so you won't be seeing names like Dustin Pedroia or David Ortiz.
The following players represent the five most tradable assets in the Red Sox organization.
Honorable Mention: Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino
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Both of these players might top the list of who the Red Sox are interested in trading, but neither will be overly appealing to other clubs.
Will Middlebrooks batted .191 last year. After three seasons in Boston, Middlebrooks may have missed his window to develop into the team's everyday third baseman. However, he is only 26 years old and isn't eligible for salary arbitration until 2016.
Shane Victorino is a career .277 hitter with solid speed and power who tends to come up big when it matters most. However, the veteran outfielder will turn 34 next month, and he was only healthy enough to play 30 games last season. Victorino is also due $13 million in 2015, making him all the more difficult to deal.
No. 5: Jackie Bradley Jr.
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Jackie Bradley Jr.'s weak bat prevented him from holding on to the Red Sox starting center field job in 2014, but his spectacular defensive play kept him in the lineup on a semi-regular basis.
Since he's only 24 years old and is still on a rookie-scale contract, potential trade partners might be willing to overlook Bradley Jr.'s .198 average and one home run in favor of his league-leading 13 outfield assists as a center fielder.
Bradley Jr. was named a finalist for an American League Gold Glove Award despite playing in just 113 games last season. Jason Mastrodonato of Mass Live writes:
"Bradley played center field like he knew where every ball was going to land as soon as it left the bat. His impeccable route-running led to an 18.6 UZR/150 rating, meaning he saved about 18.6 runs per 150 games with his defense. … Bradley also perfected his trick play, which allowed him to fake baserunners into thinking he was chasing a ball in the gap while Bradley caught shallow flyballs and turned double plays from the outfield (he led all outfielders with eight double plays started).
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No other major league outfielder turned more than three double plays last year.
No. 4: Blake Swihart
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MLB.com ranks Blake Swihart as the No. 24 prospect in all of baseball, as well as No. 2 overall among catchers.
In 110 games split between Double-A and Triple-A last year, Swihart batted .293 with 13 home runs and 64 RBI. The 22-year-old also stole eight bases this past season. Catchers who can hit for average and power are a very rare commodity; throwing speed into the equation as well is almost unheard of.
The emergence of rookie Christian Vazquez in 2014 as Boston's regular catcher makes Swihart potentially expendable for the right price.
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No. 3: Yoenis Cespedes
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Yoenis Cespedes is the two-time defending Home Run Derby champion, he was an All-Star in 2014 and he's hit at least 20 homers and driven in 80 or more runs in each of his three MLB seasons. The 29-year-old Cuban outfielder also has a cannon for an arm.
Cespedes is under contract for $10.5 million in 2015, not a bad deal for a big league slugger with five-tool talent.
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News recently started rumors that Cespedes might be on his way out of town when he wrote:
"According to sources, the Red Sox had planned to at least engage Cespedes…on a possible extension. Initially, the Red Sox considered offering…a four- to five-year deal, and had had some preliminary discussions with his then-agent, Adam Katz. … Cespedes fired Katz and hired Roc Nation, which — like it did with Robinson Cano — is expected to seek a much larger, long-term contract and make a big splash about it. Two other reasons the Red Sox are open to dealing Cespedes are his open disenchantment with Boston and his refusal to pay any heed to their coaches. "He marches to his own drum and the coaches all hate him," said a Red Sox insider.
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Boston is almost certain to trade an outfielder, and Cespedes is sure to fetch a lot more in return than Victorino or Bradley Jr. will.
No. 2: Henry Owens
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SoxProspects.com rates Henry Owens as the second-best prospect in the Red Sox organization, and MLB.com ranks him No. 20 overall across the minor leagues.
Last year, Owens pitched in both Double-A and Triple-A, going a combined 17-5 with a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 159 innings. The 6'6" lefty is still just 22 years old, and he is expected to be a front-of-the-rotation starter someday.
Boston's need for quality starting pitching is immediate, though, and it could choose to use Owens as trade bait for an established major leaguer.
No. 1: Mookie Betts
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Mookie Betts has it all. As with Swihart and Owens, the 22-year-old rookie is a top prospect likely to be coveted by other clubs for his cheap contract and enormous upside. But what makes Betts even more enticing is that he's already shown he can succeed on the big league level.
After beginning the 2014 season in Double-A, Betts blew through Triple-A and ended up appearing in 52 games for the Red Sox. In 189 at-bats with Boston, he hit .291 with five home runs, 18 RBI and seven stolen bases.
Betts also proved to be extremely versatile on defense, shifting from his natural second base position to outfield and playing both spots effectively.
With Pedroia entrenched at second base and a logjam in the outfield, the Red Sox could choose to make Betts available this offseason. And if they do, he's certain to be among the most highly sought-after talents around the league.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, with contract information via Spotrac.com.
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