Despite their disappointing 2014 season, the Boston Red Sox are one of baseball’s better-positioned franchises when it comes to immediate future success. They have a wealth of talent in the minor leagues, several established stars in the majors who should continue to perform and young studs who are just cutting their teeth at the MLB level.
With just a 43-52 record and a 3.5 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus, the Sox are likely best off letting their youngsters play and trying for more glory in 2015. However, the overall mediocrity of the AL East could tempt the Red Sox to make one last push this season, especially if they go on a winning streak between now and late July.
In such a scenario, the Red Sox must be careful not to leverage their promising future for what would be an unlikely and daunting playoff push. Thankfully, even with prospect attrition factored in, their farm system is deep enough to allow for some wiggle room in trading prospects without gutting future iterations of Red Sox teams.
With that balancing act in mind, let’s take a look at some minor leaguers Boston could move without jeopardizing its future at the deadline.