Red Sox Urged To Make 'Glaringly Obvious' Trade To Clear Space For Roman Anthony

The Boston Red Sox will have to make way for Roman Anthony, and the only questions are how and how soon.

Anthony, the number-one position player prospect in all of baseball, has gone nuclear in Triple-A to begin the season, looking for all the world like a youngster ready for the big-league spotlight. But to make room for the 20-year-old, the Red Sox would have to disappoint an established big-leaguer.

Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela comprise the current Red Sox starting outfield. All are still young and under team control through at least 2028, but they can't all keep their current roles once Anthony arrives in the majors.

There's been some sentiment floating around that perhaps a trade is unnecessary. That Rafaela could move to a full-time super-utility role while Duran shifts to center field and Anthony takes over left. One baseball writer, however, doesn't see that unfolding.

On Sunday, FanSided's Cody Williams argued that the only way forward for the Red Sox was to trade one of the current starting outfielders to acquire a reliever that can make an impact on the team's iffy bullpen, which coughed up a win against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

"Craig Breslow and the Red Sox should already be ready to make moves to add a reliever ahead of the trade deadline," Williams wrote. "And it just so happens that they could go big-name shopping in that regard in a way that would clear the way for Anthony to break into the majors.

"There are still three months until the trade deadline and it's entirely possible Anthony is up in Boston before then. However, to clear the path for him to be a true everyday player as a top prospect in all of baseball, this path forward for the Red Sox seems glaringly obvious at this point."

The guess here is that Rafaela is the one who loses his spot, and it's a tough pill to swallow. The 24-year-old got a $50 million contract extension last year, and he plays Platinum Glove-worthy defense in center field.

But his offense has been ugly enough so far this year that the Red Sox can't feel confident enough that he'll be a long-term producer in their lineup. And Anthony is going to give them an offensive jolt for many years to come.