The Boston Red Sox's faithful might not be too happy to hear this, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports went ahead and said it anyways, "The Red Sox should trade their top prospect, infielder Xander Bogaerts, to get (Philadelphia) Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee." Though teams are trying to protect their farm system, I have to agree with Rosenthal's analysis simply because the Red Sox have yielded great results when trading big time prospects for already established aces.
Back in 2005, as Rosenthal points out, the Red Sox were in a very similar situation. They acquired Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell from the Florida Marlins, while giving up shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Yes, the Red Sox found themselves in a hole, moving from shortstop to shortstop. One year it was Orlando Cabrera, the other it was Edgar Renteria. A few no-names rolled along and then Alex Gonzalez played short and ever since Nomar Garciaparra, who manned shortstop from 1996-2004, the Red Sox have had trouble finding a regular shortstop. However, these stop gap options have provided results and helped bring Championships to Boston.
Jump back to the present and consider that the Red Sox could add an ace to their rotation in Lee. He has championship experience, though he lacks a World Series ring, which is no fault of his own. Lowell played a huge part in getting the Red Sox to the World Series in 2007 as he took over third base duties. Lo and behold, the Red Sox also need a third baseman and they've inquired about Michael Young, the Phillies' man at the hot corner.
Why not give fans some excitement? Young doesn't have power, but he provides consistency. Young is hitting .277 with seven home runs and 32 RBI with a .342 on-base percentage. Ideally, the Red Sox should go after a power-hitter, but Chase Utley and Dominic Brown are untouchables. Those two guys can provide David Ortiz with protection out of the five hole.
As far as pitching help, Lee is 10-4 with a 3.05 ERA. He's pitched 144.2 innings, eighth most in baseball. This in turn could give the Red Sox bullpen a break as the season winds down. Lee could catapult the Red Sox into first place for good, as Boston lost the top spot in the A.L. East on Monday to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Xander Bogaerts is a 20-year-old shortstop who is hitting .279 with eight home runs, 24 RBI with a .380 OBP. There are many comparisons to Hanley Ramirez, so why wouldn't the Phillies want him?
So what will it be Red Sox Nation? A prospect or a ring? Chime in with your response in the discussion section right below this article.