MLB Rumors: Cubs-Bellinger threat, Cardinals bullpen sleeper, Red Sox prospect hype

  • An NL team has emerged as a threat to sign Cody Bellinger away from Chicago Cubs
  • The St. Louis Cardinals have a sleeper candidate for their bullpen
  • The Boston Red Sox farm system receives recognition
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Five Red Sox prospects ranked in The Athletic's Keith Law's Top 100 list

The Boston Red Sox haven't exactly done much to get their fanbase excited for the upcoming season. Normally, big spenders for some of the top players available in free agency and the trading block, the Red Sox instead went with the stingy approach. Their big offseason additions were St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill and former Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. Other than that, the team traded away outfielder Alex Verdugo and starting pitcher Chris Sale, while not factoring into some of the top players available.

If there is one thing that Red Sox fans will like, it's their prospect rankings.

The Athletic's Keith Law unveiled his Top 100 prospects for the 2024 season. The Red Sox have five prospects ranked on this list, tied for second-most in baseball. The only team with more prospects in the Top 100 is the Milwaukee Brewers, with six.

Here are the Red Sox prospects included on the list and where they rank.

  • No. 8: SS Marcelo Mayer
  • No. 22: OF Roman Anthony
  • No. 32: OF/IF Ceddanne Rafaela
  • No. 54: C Kyle Teel
  • No. 88: OF Miguel Bleis

Marcelo Mayer being at the top of the list isn't a shock, as he has been considered their top prospect in the farm system. But to be ranked inside the Top 10 in baseball by Law, that's impressive.

This past season in High-A and Double-A, Mayer recorded a .236 batting average, a .306 on-base percentage, a .433 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, 43 runs, 54 RBI, 74 hits, 86 strikeouts, and 32 walks in 314 at-bats.

As for Roman Anthony, he played in Single-A, High-A, and Double-A for a total of 106 games last season. Anthony slashed .272/.403/.466 while recording 14 home runs, 64 RBI, 78 runs, 108 hits, 119 strikeouts, and 86 walks in 397 at-bats.

Meanwhile, Ceddane Rafaela is the final Red Sox prospect to rank inside the Top 50. Rafaela slashed .302/.349/.520 while recording 20 home runs, 79 RBI, 80 runs, 134 hits, 103 strikeouts, and 26 walks in 444 at-bats across Double-A and Triple-A. Rafaela also played for the Red Sox this past season, recording a .241 batting average, a .667 OPS, two home runs, five RBI, 11 runs, 20 hits, 28 strikeouts, and four walks in 83 at-bats (28 games).

This certainly shows that the Red Sox have done a good job at building up their farm system. But with the AL East being ultra-competitive, the fanbase was hoping that the team would try to help compete against the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays.

But, at least the future of the team looks bright, especially with Theo Epstein back in the organization.