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Boston Red Sox: Who on the Roster is a Tradeable Commodity This Offseason?

By Hal Bent

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Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

UNTOUCHABLES:

This is the group of players that have a less than 1% chance of being traded this offseason (or should be considered untouchable in the case of Owens and Swihart). Expect this group to be back in Boston next year.

Let’s be clear: David Ortiz is not going anywhere in the offseason. Ortiz is the face of the franchise and last link to 2004 Red Sox team. He will finish his career in Boston as long as he continues to put up decent numbers. Ortiz hit 37 home runs with a team leading .913 OPS at age 39. As long as he hits, the public relations disaster which would come from trading him is not worth it.

Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Betts, Bogaerts, and Rodriguez used the 2015 season to push themselves into the building block category. All three are expected to be the nucleus of the franchise going forward. The 23-year-old Betts hit 18 home runs, stole 21 bases, had an .820 OPS, and moved seamlessly to the outfield.

Bogaerts is also just 23 years old and took a huge step forward on defense at shortstop after spending time at third base in 2014. Bogaerts had a .320 batting average and hit 35 doubles as his power slowly improved. Finally, Eduardo Rodriguez is a 22-year-old prospect who was 10-6 as a rookie with a 3.85 ERA. He had 98 strikeouts in 121.2 innings and showed maturity above his age on the mound.

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    • Owens and Swihart are on the fringe of the “too good to trade” status right now. Owens is a six-foot-six lefty, who at 23 years old is still filling out his frame. He has had just 11 starts in the major leagues, but having seen him in person in Pawtucket the past two seasons, his talent is evident. His struggles come from when he does not throw strikes and get ahead consistently. Ahead in the count, his changeup is simply unhittable.

    Swihart is just 23 years old and was rushed to the majors due to injuries. He is a switch-hitter who rode his bat through the minor league system. Like Betts and Bogaerts, he is still developing his power and may be 3 or 4 years away from the 20-25 home run range. However, Swihart has worked hard at catcher and there is no reason to believe his receiving skills will not improve as they have in the minors.

    Next: Almost Impossible to Move Players

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