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6 hours ago
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The Boston Red Sox are just one win shy of first place in the American League East division but might feel a little disappointed with the start of the 2025 season.
The front office went full throttle over the winter to bring in Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Alex Bregman, Aroldis Chapman and others, with a return to the playoffs firmly in sight.
But the team has fallen short of its potential, with superstar slugger Rafael Devers off to a slow start, catcher Connor Wong injured and Tanner Houck posting a 7.58 ERA. As a result, some fans are urging the team to call up their best prospects, including Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.
Reflecting on those calls, Red Sox insider Peter Abraham wrote that making room for the pair of youngsters would require some pretty dramatic roster adjustments.
“Somehow Craig Breslow has to come up with a way to make a series of moves that get Anthony and Mayer on the team,” Abraham wrote for the Boston Globe. “That likely would entail moving Story’s hefty contract, trading some players you’d rather not trade, balancing the lineup, and protecting the organization for the possibility Alex Bregman opts out after the season.”
The only feasible route for Mayer on the big-league team would be at shortstop, which is why the team would have to clear Story out of the way first. But after signing a six-year, $140 million deal with the Red Sox in 2022, it might be hard to find a suitor.
A potential trade does seem more likely now than it has in some time, though. Story has been healthy and playing up to his two-time All-Star level so far this year, with a .272/.314/.421 slash line, five homers and 16 RBI in the early going.
While that level of play would make him a more attractive trade candidate for other teams, it also means the Red Sox might have more interest in holding onto Story. There seems to be no real path for the Red Sox to promote their two prospects at the moment, though Abraham believes that could change shortly.
“But if the Sox are still muddling around .500 a month from now and Anthony and Mayer are crushing Triple A pitching, something is going to have to give,” he added. “Prediction: Somebody will get traded that will be a big surprise.”
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)