A few weeks ago, it didn’t look likely that the Boston Red Sox would be in a position to make a move at the deadline. They were playing terrible baseball, and it was a bit worrisome.
Fast forward to the end of April, and the Red Sox showed all fans why they don’t have to stress out over the early part of the campaign. Baseball is a weird sport, and with 162 games in a campaign, there’s plenty of time to figure things out.
Now, the Red Sox will undoubtedly be in the market for a few players at the deadline, and one of them could come in the form of a starter.
In a proposed trade idea from Newsweek’s Zach Pressnell, he had the Red Sox trading for Sandy Alcántara of the Miami Marlins in a deal that includes Ceddanne Rafaela, Franklin Arias, and Hunter Dobbins.
“The Red Sox are the top team in the sweepstakes for Alcántara. Though they added Garrett Crochet in the offseason, they still need another ace, and they have Ceddanne Rafaela, who could be used as the headliner in the return.
“Besides Rafaela, the Red Sox could part ways with Franklin Arias and Hunter Doobins to bring in the star righty from the Marlins. Boston might have to part ways with another top 20 prospect to get the deal done,” he wrote.
Rafaela would be the headliner of this package, given his big league experience, but trading three players in general isn’t always the best idea, especially with the other two being somewhat highly regarded prospects.
Despite Rafaela being a decent big league player, his offensive production hasn’t been enough to warrant keeping him around.
He offers the Red Sox defensive versatility, but it’d be tough to ignore adding a former Cy Young Award candidate in Alcantara.
He’s struggled a bit early on, posting a 6.56 ERA and striking out just 12 hitters in 23.1 innings. However, outside of his injuries, he’s been a workhorse throughout his career and owns a 3.39 ERA.
