This Red Sox-White Sox trade would land an ace without breaking up Boston's Big 4

Put simply, it's time for Craig Breslow to put the Boston Red Sox in position to contend. While the full-throttle promise of last offseason that proved fruitless certainly has given many fans a healthy dose of skepticism about it, all reporting indicates that John Henry and Sam Kennedy are willing to pony up the dough this offseason in order to fill the Red Sox roster holes and reshape a strong young core into a contender.

While that may certainly (and should) include spending on top-dollar free agents like potentially Teoscar Hernandez, Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and several other, the possibility of a blockbuster trade looms large in Boston.

The organization is currently reaping the benefits of Chaim Bloom's rebuild of the farm system, which is of course headlined by the Big 4 prospects: Roman Anthony (No. 1 in MLB Pipeline's Top 100), Marcelo Mayer (No. 7), new addition to the "Big" mix Kristian Campbell (No. 10), and Kyle Teel (No. 25). However, those guys are largely viewed, at least by much of the fanbase, as the future in Boston. So trading any of those four would feel like a punch to the gut.

And yet, the Red Sox may not have to.

Boston is already rumored to be one of the likeliest destinations for the biggest trade chip expected to be available this offseason, emerging White Sox ace Garrett Crochet before then signing him to a lucrative extension. But Alex Speier of the Boston Globe also reported from the MLB GM Meetings that White Sox general manager Chris Getz says he'll use the Dylan Cease trade as the framework for a Crochet deal.

A Red Sox-White Sox trade for Garrett Crochet that keeps the Big 4 intact

So what could that potentially look like for the Red Sox, building off of the package that the San Diego Padres sent to the White Sox for Cease? Well, it could very well mean that Boston doesn't have to send a single member of the Big 4 currently residing in Worcester to get a deal done. In fact, it could look something like this.

To pry Cease from the Southside, the Padres sent MLB Pipeline's then-No. 85 prospect Drew Thorpe along with the team's No. 7 prospect Samuel Zavala, the No. 8 prospect Jairo Iriarte and 29-year-old right-handed reliever Steven Wilson. The Sox can basically match that, or piece together perhaps an even better package, without considering moving Anthony, Mayer, Campbell or Teel.

Arias would be the high-upside prospect swing in the deal, cracking the Top 100 prospect rankings in Single-A this year at 18 years old. But Arias is ultimately blocked in the Red Sox organization by Mayer and potentially Campbell at shortstop, so Boston is operating from a luxury point in being able to move such a young high-upside player. Sandlin, meanwhile, has an electric arm and, while he was a bit hot-and-cold in the minors this season, the peak of his stuff should be enticing to any team.

Where things get interesting for the Red Sox and still intriguing to the White Sox would be Wilyer Abreu and Kutter Crawford. The latter is 28 years old but just made 33 starts for the Sox with a 4.36 ERA and 1.122 WHIP, so he could immediately slot into Chicago's rotation as a proverbial stand-in for Wilson in the Cease trade. Abreu, meanwhile, could be the piece to get this deal across the finish line.

The 25-year-old outfielder is coming off of a Gold Glove season in right field with the Red Sox where he also posted a .253/.322/.459 slash line with a 114 OPS+ in 132 games. He's a proven elite defensive outfielder while also showing real promise with the bat who's also under club control through 2030 and not even arbitration-eligible until 2027. He's basically another high-end prospect in terms of value but someone who's already proven his salt in the majors.

And in return, the Red Sox would get the ace that the team's starting rotation has lacked for some time amid Chris Sale's injuries and other mitigating factors by bringin in Crochet. Pair that with more spending, potentially more trades and the core already in place with the Big 4 coming to the majors soon, and this would be about as ideal as it could get for Boston while also helping the White Sox further set up their rebuild with the right pieces.