The Boston Red Sox have one of baseball’s best prospects, Franklin Arias.
The No. 2 prospect in baseball is just 20 years old, with a mountain of potential. That didn’t stop Boston, however, from considering trading him at the Trade Deadline.
According to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, the idea of “selling high” on Arias was at least considered, but in the end, Boston opted against it. And it may have been for the better.
While the Red Sox made a blockbuster trade for catcher Adley Rutschman, they could’ve made a blockbuster trade for a shortstop, a major position of need for the team.
Why Would the Boston Red Sox Trade Arias?
The Red Sox signed Arias in 2023 out of Venezuela. He quickly became a sensation, rising through the minor league ranks.
In 2026, he took it to a whole new level. In 117 games, Arias slashed .323/.400/.557 with 25 home runs and 91 runs driven in. He has advanced bat-to-ball skills, good speed and is a reliable defender at shortstop.
However, that didn’t stop the team from at least exploring the possibility of trading him.
“At the trade deadline this past summer, the Red Sox, according to league sources, explored the possibility of selling high and trading Arias for a young, controllable shortstop as a way to bolster their 2026 roster for the postseason,” McCaffrey wrote. “They opted to keep Arias, suggesting how highly they value him.”
Who Would the Team Have Traded for?
Trading Arias would get back an absolute haul. However, it looks like the team is banking on him to succeed at the major league level.
The team was heavily connected to Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto and Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña at the Trade Deadline.
The team would opt not to get a proven major league shortstop and settle for the young talent with heavy upside.
Neto has had a solid three-year run with the Angels, accumulating at least 5.0 bWAR in every season, while hitting at least 20 home runs each year. The former first-round pick out of Campbell University will not be a free agent until after 2029.
As for Peña, he is the better-known commodity. The 2022 ALCS and World Series MVP was a third-round pick out of the University of Maine and has been wildly successful.
He has accumulated 22.2 bWAR in just five seasons, but will be a free agent after the 2027 season.
Either way, it appears that Arias’ future is safe for now. If he can live up to his potential, it will have been the right move for Boston to wait, even if that meant sacrificing a competing season.
Red Sox Considered Franklin Arias Move at Deadline