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Red Sox Trade Idea Sends Roman Anthony to Pirates For Paul Skenes

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated May 28, 2025 11:30 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox have a lot of holes they need to address across their roster, one of which is in the starting rotation. While Bryan Bello is back, and Garrett Crochet is off to a great start, there is still room for improvement.

In a trade idea from Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Red Sox would link up with the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire starting pitcher Paul Skenes. Bowden's proposed package would require the Red Sox to give up a lot to obtain the superstar starter.

Bowden's proposed package would send the number one prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony, Franklin Aria, Justin Gonzalez, and Luis Perales. Giving up Anthony, the best prospect in baseball, would be a huge asset to move.

Adding someone of Skenes' talent, however, would make such a deal worth considering. "Meanwhile, for Boston," writes Bowden, "a rotation led by Skenes and Garrett Crochet would be a game changer."

When fully healthy, the Red Sox rotation would have Skenes, Crochet, Bello, Walker Buehler, and a combination of Kutter Crawford, Lucas Giolito, Tanner Houck, Hunter Dobbins, and Richard Fitts.

The starting rotation, in the evident Skenes, is added, and would be among the best rotations in all of baseball. While an enticing move, acquiring one of the best young starters in MLB, the Red Sox would have to give up Anthony, their top prospect.

With question marks at multiple positions in the starting lineup, the Red Sox would benefit greatly from calling up Anthony. The 21-year-old is batting .320 in Triple-A, and is on the verge of getting called up to the Major Leagues. he has eight home runs, 23 RBI, and a .981 OPS over 172 games in the Minor Leagues.

The other prospects the Red Sox would give up for Skenes in Bowden's trade idea are also valuable. On the Red Sox's top 30 prospect rankings, Arias is ranked third, Pereales is fourth, and Gonzalez is 15th.

Three of the Red Sox's top four prospects would be sent to Pittsburgh for the elite starter. While the move would give the Red Sox an incredible starting rotation, it would drastically reduce the prospect strength within the organization.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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