This Astros-Red Sox blockbuster could mean a 2025 championship for Boston

A promising offseason is quickly turning into a nightmare for Beantown. Every team that pursued Juan Soto not named the Mets lament his decision. The Boston Red Sox are not immune to the familiar feeling of disappointment.

But as it so happens, their Garrett Crochet pursuit has gone awry as well. It turns out, GM Craig Breslow’s focus isn’t entirely on nabbing Crochet. Given the astronomic asking price, no one could blame Boston for passing on the rising southpaw. But where does this leave the Red Sox?

The Red Sox pitching staff struggled mightily in 2024 posting a 4.04 ERA ranking them 17th in the MLB. Their offense, while good, wasn’t enough to carry them in to the postseason landing them 5 games out of the Wild Card round. With Triston Casas in the lineup, the Red Sox offense should get a jolt, but after losing Tyler O’Neill, there isn’t enough pop in their lineup to make them a serious contender. However, there is a solution, but that’s only if the Astros are enticed enough to agree.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.

Trading Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez to the Red Sox

The Astros are under considerable pressure this offseason. They are one of the top spending teams in baseball and are looking to slow down on increasing the payroll. After topping the AL Central in 2024, the Astros were instantly booted from the Wild Card round after being swept by the Tigers, ending their dynastic run of postseason domination.

After 2025, two key players are set to enter free agency: Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker. Given both of these studs occupy positions Boston needs to upgrade, trading for them would make perfect sense.

This past season, Valdez threw to a 2.91 ERA with 169 strikeouts through 176.1 innings. Over seven years, Valdez maintains a career 3.30 ERA and has been in the Cy Young running four times coming as close as fifth in 2022.

Coming with Valdez to Boston, Gold Glove outfielder Kyle Tucker is coming off another great year where he slashed .289/.408/.585/.993 with 23 home runs in a season where an injury held him to just 277 at-bats. Tucker led the AL in RBIs in 2023 and has shown he is capable of hitting 30 home runs in a single season with a high batting average. His speed is also a large plus on the basepaths. Adding him to the Red Sox lineup with Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, and Triston Casas would likely make them contenders.

Astros’ GM Dana Brown is currently listening to offers on Tucker and stated his intention to listen to offers on anyone. However, he has also expressed a desire to keep Tucker in his walk year. Any package for Tucker and Valdez would need to be substantial, however, with only one year left on both contracts, they shouldn’t expect an extensive haul.

As such, one piece of the package heading back to Houston would be a top 100 MLB prospect in Franklin Arias. Arias is Boston’s number seven prospect has shown a tendency to hit for a very high average in the minors. He can also steal bases and is growing in strength since arriving. At age 19 and having cracked the top 100 list, Arias is exceptionally talented. He played in Low-A last season and is expected to debut in 2028.

Along with Arias, Houston would also receive Red Sox number eight prospect Miguel Bleis. The 20-year-old outfielder is seen as a speedy power hitter with exceptional bat-speed and exit velocities. Bleis will need to work on not chasing balls and better strike zone command, the only thing hindering him from being a five-tool player. He can be ready to make his debut by next year.

Lastly, Boston would part with catcher Brooks Brannon. Brannon is the Red Sox number 27 prospect. He is seen as a raw power hitter with a great arm, but his speed is not a strong point and his contact hitting could use some work. The 20-year-old Brannon played in Low-A last season and is expected to debut in 2027.