The 2021 Major League Baseball trade deadline was a doozy, as several high-profile players changed uniforms in deals that involved legitimate, top-tier prospects.
The Boston Red Sox, despite adding another bat (Kyle Schwarber) and a pair of relievers (Hansel Robles and Austin Davis) last week, chose to keep their most prized farmhands.
Baseball America recently updated its Top 100 prospects list, and along with that midseason adjustment came the release of new Top 30 prospect rankings for each MLB organization.
Alex Speier, who works for The Boston Globe, broke down the 2021 midseason Red Sox prospect rankings in a piece published Tuesday by Baseball America.
Here is BA's midseason top 10 for Boston:
1. Triston Casas, 1B
2. Jarren Duran, OF
3. Marcelo Mayer, SS
4. Jeter Downs, 2B/SS
5. Tanner Houck, RHP
6. Brayan Bello, RHP
7. Bryan Mata, RHP
8. Nick Yorke, 2B
9. Jay Groome, LHP
10. Gilberto Jimenez, OF
Click here for Baseball America's Top 30 Red Sox prospects >>
It won't be long before Duran and Houck graduate from prospect status, as they've both been called upon this season to help the major league club.
Casas, meanwhile, sure has looked like a top prospect, both at Double-A Portland and at the Olympics in Tokyo, where's been making a huge impact for Team USA.
Mayer, selected with the No. 4 overall pick in last month's MLB draft, obviously is a newcomer to this list, but don't be surprised if he sits atop the rankings before long. Some said the 18-year-old shortstop was the best all-around player in the draft, worthy of the No. 1 pick, and therefore a case could be made for him being considered the Red Sox's top prospect right now.
Now, one could argue whether the Red Sox should have done more at the trade deadline to bolster their current big league roster as they continue to fight for position atop the American League East. But Chaim Bloom has been committed to building up the farm system since taking over as Boston's chief baseball officer, and it can be said with great certainty that the Red Sox's pipeline is trending in the right direction.
