Fansided

3 prospects the Red Sox can afford to trade for Major League talent

By Gabrielle Starr

BOSTON, MA - JULY 03: Chief Baseball Officer for the Boston Red Sox Chaim Bloom talks by the phone during Summer Workouts at Fenway Park on July 3, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 03: Chief Baseball Officer for the Boston Red Sox Chaim Bloom talks by the phone during Summer Workouts at Fenway Park on July 3, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox Jeter Downs
Jeter Downs #20 of the Boston Red Sox (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

3. Jeter Downs, Red Sox SS/2B prospect

Speaking of Jeter Downs, how many shortstops do the Red Sox need?

Xander Bogaerts is signed through 2025, and the Sox have still been linked to current free-agent shortstops, which would presumably shift him to second base, as Bogaerts has a full no-trade clause on his contract.

The Sox also have Christian Arroyo, who won’t reach free agency until 2025. Injuries limited him to 57 games in 2021, but he can play second, third, and short, and will likely remain affordable in his arbitration.

So, let’s talk about Downs, who is coming off a down year.

The infield prospect named after Derek Jeter – which is very weird for Red Sox fans who grew up in the 90s – had a hard time in 2021. Over 99 games in Triple-A Worcester, he only hit .190/.272/.333 with a .606 OPS, all the lowest marks of his minor-league career thus far, and a far cry from his numbers in Double-A Tulsa in 2019, when he was still in the Dodgers organization.

Downs fared slightly better in the 2021 Arizona Fall League, though a stat line over 14 games is obviously not comparable to one that spans a full minor-league season.

It’s highly plausible that if Downs bounces back at the beginning of the 2022 minor-league season, the Sox trade him to a big-league team that needs infield depth by the trade deadline.