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The Boston Red Sox find themselves in a bit of an interesting spot heading into the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline. With a 53-47 record, it's safe to say that they have been overachieving for much of the season, even as they find themselves sitting in last place in the American League East. However, they are just two games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, and they could conceivably find a way into the playoffs when all is said and done.
What happens with their playoff push could be determined by the team's strategy at the deadline. On one hand, the Sox aren't really a championship contender this season, and even if they buy at the deadline, that isn't going to change. On the other hand, Boston's players are proving that they are a team worth investing in, and after failing to do so last year, the pressure will be on to change course this year.
While he may not even be moved at the deadline, Shohei Ohtani is the biggest name on the market, and unsurprisingly, the big market Red Sox are one of the teams lurking should the Los Angeles Angels decide to trade him. Making a move for Ohtani would require a massive package of prospects in return, so let's take a look at why that type of return would be worth it for Boston if they wanted to land Ohtani.
Why trading a huge package of prospects for Shohei Ohtani would make sense for Red Sox
Given his status as a generational two-way player, Ohtani is going to command a massive trade package if the Angels do move him. Ohtani is one of the best hitters and pitchers in the league, all in one player. If he gets traded, it will create a situation that the MLB has never really seen before, and nobody would know what to expect.
What's clear is that if Ohtani were to get traded, it would require a massive trade package to land him. That includes a mammoth haul of prospects that will make many teams balk. However, those that are truly interested in landing Ohtani won't really care what it takes to get him, and if Boston wants Ohtani, that's the mindset they will have to employ in order to land him.
A while back, I looked at a potential trade package that could net Ohtani for the Red Sox if they wanted him. It would see the Sox get rid of Marcelo Mayer, Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Triston Casas in exchange for the dynamic two-way phenom. That's a massive haul of prospects for just one player, and it's fair to wonder whether or not Ohtani is even worth that sort of package.
On one hand, giving up pretty much the entire top of Boston's farm system doesn't make much sense. Chaim Bloom has been delicately rebuilding the Red Sox farm system after it was torched by Dave Dombrowski before him, and while Bloom gets criticized heavily (and for good reason) he has managed to accomplish his goal of rebuilding the Red Sox farm system.
But at some point, the farm system needs to be utilized to help build a winner at the major league level. Whether it's seeing those prospects make it to the majors, or moving them in a massive deal like this, having a nice farm system doesn't win you the World Series. If Bloom wants to show that he means business, making a deal for Ohtani is what he should do.
It could require more to land Ohtani, but it would be worth it for a Boston team that has been forced to shed a lot of talent since Bloom took over. Bloom has received a lot of grief for dismantling the 2018 World Series squad the moment he took over the front office. After years of quietly rebuilding, this could be his time to strike.
Ohtani will require a massive haul of prospects and a big contract shortly after, but he could be just what Boston needs. Pairing him up in the lineup with Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida would immediately make the Sox all the more dangerous, and his presence in the rotation could give Boston the ace they have been looking for over the past few seasons. A rotation featuring Ohtani, James Paxton, and Chris Sale (assuming he actually returns) wouldn't look half bad either.
There are always going to be risks involved, but even for the massive prospect package in return, Ohtani may be one of the safer bets to succeed for whichever team he would get traded to. Bloom needs a career-defining move to reassert the Red Sox as a World Series contender, and while trading for Ohtani alone may not be enough, giving up a haul of prospects in order to fast-track their championship aspirations would be well worth making such a deal here.
