Boston Red Sox rumors: Top prospects on the trading block

Boston Red Sox (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
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Boston Red Sox (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The best of the rest

Teams that value defense up-the-middle might find C.J. Chatham, a slick fielding shortshop, of interest. Bryan Mata and Mike Shawaryn also project as mid-rotation starters, though Mata is younger and has the secondary stuff to be more.

Looking way ahead, 18-year-old shortshop Antoni Flores shows a promising combination of uncommon plate discipline and bat speed for such a precocious player.

The New York Yankees fired the first salvo of the offseason, acquiring starter James Paxton from the Mariners to front their rotation.

If Dombrowski and the Boston Red Sox wish to respond with a big trade to set themselves up for a title repeat, they have plenty of intriguing, young prospects with which to make that happen.