Red Sox On Shortlist Of Trade Suitors For $56 Million Ex-Cy Young Award Winner

Is a midseason blockbuster on the horizon?

Aug 17, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; A Miami Marlins logo neon light is silhouetted against the sky prior to the game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Boston Red Sox fans can finally afford to get excited about the trade deadline in 2025.

In each of the past three seasons, the Red Sox have been in the playoff hunt at the deadline, but only hanging on by a thread. And the front office (two front offices, technically) has responded either by buying and selling at the same time, or adding at the margins rather than making a big splash.

In 2025, it feels as though the big splash will come if the Red Sox need it. Boston acquired stars Garrett Crochet, Alex Bregman, and Walker Buehler this offseason, so they're in it to win it as far as we all know.

If the Red Sox are looking for a major upgrade anywhere, the starting rotation seems like an early frontrunner. Tanner Houck, an All-Star last season, has regressed, while four other quality arms have spent extended time on the injured list already this season.

On Tuesday, ESPN's David Schoenfield came up with a potential solution for Boston. He named the Red Sox on a shortlist of teams that could trade for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, thanks to their motivation to win and their deep list of prospects.

"Garrett Crochet has been everything the Red Sox hoped for, but Tanner Houck has been getting pounded, the rotation depth is thin and most of Boston's top prospects are position players," Schoenfield wrote.

"Alcantara's multiyear team control and reasonable salary makes him especially attractive to the Red Sox -- a team that has been reluctant to spend with the big boys in recent years. Frankly, they should be able to outbid any other team, especially since the Marlins are starving for hitters."

Alcantara, 29, won the National League Cy Young Award in unanimous fashion in 2022, and is one of the sport's most reliable workhorses when he's healthy. He missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, and his 7.27 ERA through four starts indicates he's still finding his form.

Schoenfield mentioned a name that is sure to give Red Sox fans pause, though: shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer. Sure, Boston might want Alcantara, but do they want him badly enough to give up a potential future superstar?

And if they don't, is there another team willing to steal the Red Sox's thunder by bidding one of their own prospects with similar cache?

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