The Boston Red Sox are looking to buy ahead of Wednesday's MLB trade deadline, and Edwin Diaz reportedly is on their shopping list.
But their apparent interest in the New York Mets' All-Star closer begs the question: What assets in a thin farm system do they have to work with?
ESPN's Buster Olney shared his latest intel Monday by listing two prospects the Red Sox probably would have to part with to wrest Diaz from the Mets.
Casas and Dalbec are the two best prospects Boston has to offer. The 19-year-old Casas already has 17 home runs and 68 RBIs for the Class A Greenville Drive, while the 24-year-old Dalbec won both Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in the Red Sox's 2018 Minor League Awards.
Both are primarily third basemen, though, so the Sox in theory wouldn't mind moving them with 22-year-old Rafael Devers having a breakout season in the majors. The Mets also could use an upgrade at third base over 33-year-old veteran Todd Frazier.
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The Red Sox will have plenty of competition, of course: the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly are also in on Diaz and boast deeper farm systems.
But no team on that shortlist has a higher-rated third base prospect than Dalbec (per MLB.com), so Boston may have a shot at landing the missing piece in their bullpen.
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