The Boston Red Sox are finally all-in on winning a championship, and that will make them far more interesting to watch on the trade market this season.

In December, the Red Sox signaled their intentions to win in 2024 loud and clear with a trade for ex-Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. They gave up four solid prospects in the deal, including their number-four and five farmhands, catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery.

It’s definitely a bit early to predict what needs the Red Sox might have before this season’s trade deadline, but few teams will ever say no to an ace-quality starting pitcher if they have the means to acquire one. Will the Red Sox, who still have a deep farm system, consider adding another?

Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins may be the biggest name traded this regular season. He’s the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, and had he not been recovering from Tommy John surgery this winter, there’s a good chance the lowly Marlins would have already cashed in his ticket.

On Friday, FanSided’s Jacob Mountz pitched a hypothetical blockbuster trade in which the Red Sox would land Alcantara in exchange for right fielder Wilyer Abreu, shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer (Boston’s number-three prospect, per MLB.com), and infielder Mikey Romero (BOS No. 11 prospect).

“The Red Sox seem like perfect suitors given their needs, their incredibly bountiful farm system and their ownership group’s deep pockets. Even after the Crochet trade took scores of talent from Boston, their farm system still ranks among the best in the game,” Mountz wrote.

“The Crochet trade took two of the MLB’s top 100 prospects from the Red Sox along with two of their other top 15 prospects in an extensive haul for just one pitcher. However, history shows the Marlins haven’t been as demanding. That said, Alcantara — who is under club control through 2027, and has a club option that year — will still command a hefty price.”

Not to minimize the potential of the other two players involved here, but whether or not this deal could happen comes down to the Red Sox’s willingness to trade Mayer. And that could be entirely situation-dependent.

If the Red Sox get to the middle of the season and feel as though they desperately need someone like Alcantara, they could absolutely wind up pulling the trigger on this exact move. Equally, Mayer could be an established big-leaguer by midseason and it would seem laughable to think he could be moved.

This is what makes baseball great–we can theorize about moves in the future, and only time will tell whether or not those moves should or should not have happened.

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