Will Red Sox Trade $50 Million Outfielder To Mets To Make Room For Roman Anthony?

Whether it's in a week, a month, or even two months, the Boston Red Sox know Roman Anthony is coming.

Anthony, the consensus number-one prospect in Minor League Baseball, has been on fire to start the season at Triple-A. He hit a pair of home runs on Thursday, including a grand slam, and entered play on Friday with a 1.018 OPS and ridiculous 38.9 percent barrel rate.

Someone in the big-league starting outfield is going to have to lose their job when Anthony comes up, barring injury. That may be an uncomfortable truth for the Red Sox, but it's one they're going to have to confront soon to make sure their clubhouse doesn't descend into chaos.

Because of his slow start at the plate, 24-year-old Ceddanne Rafaela has had his name most commonly mentioned in trade discussions over the last couple of weeks. MassLive reporter Sean McAdam called Rafaela the "most logical trade chip" among Boston's outfielders earlier on Friday.

With all that in mind, Newsweek's Jon Vankin proposed Friday that Rafaela could be a logical trade fit for the New York Mets, who have had minimal contributions from their center fielders and placed Jose Siri on the injured list recently with a fractured shin.

"The Mets need a centerfielder, and the Red Sox have one in 24-year-old Curaçao native Ceddanne Rafaela, who has already proven himself one of the top defensive players in MLB at the crucial position," Vankin wrote.

"With (Jarren) Duran... easily able to shift back into center and Anthony on the way, Rafaela appears expendable from the Red Sox's perspective. The question for the Mets may only be what price in prospects they believe the elite defender is worth."

So far this season, Rafaela has been a disappointment at the plate, putting up a .520 OPS and chasing over 47 percent of pitches out of the zone. He's playing Platinum Glove-worthy defense in center field, but offense is almost always the priority, especially for a struggling Red Sox lineup.

The Red Sox gave Rafaela an eight-year, $50 million extension that will run through at least 2031 just over a year ago. Moving on this quickly would be a difficult pill to swallow for both player and team, but the organization has a responsibility to put the best possible team on the field.

And there's little doubt that Anthony is part of that picture, so Boston's hands may frankly be tied.