Roman Anthony
The Boston Red Sox are in the fourth year of a soft rebuild, going a combined 237-249 since the end of the 2021 season.
It obviously hasn't been the type of performance Red Sox fans want. Once upon a time, Boston was a powerhouse, a team with the ability to develop players and the willingness to re-sign them, but that all changed when they traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.
Now, Comeback Player of the Year candidate Tyler O'Neill is a free agent, and it's hard to imagine they spend big to retain him, especially when they have Baseball America's top prospect, Roman Anthony, waiting in the wings.
The Red Sox drafted Anthony in the third round of the 2022 draft, using the compensation pick they received from losing Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency. Anthony is a former Gatorade Florida High School Player of the Year, and the Red Sox gave him a bigger signing bonus than their first-round pick, Mikey Romero. Since then, he's blown past expectations, slashing .284/.398/.474 during his minor-league career, with big-time exit velocity numbers.
Anthony is a potential five-tool contributor with a superstar ceiling. There's no reason why the Red Sox shouldn't allow him every chance to win a starting outfield job during Spring Training, and if he succeeds, there's a good chance he'll be on the shortlist for Rookie of the Year at the end of the 2025 season.