During the offseason the Boston Red Sox had a logjam in their outfield and ended up having to trade Yoenis Cespedes and start Rusney Castillo in the minor leagues. Their good outfield problems are seemingly continuing with the emergence of a 20-year-old prospect.
Could Manuel Margot eventually be included in potential trade packages for an elite starting pitcher, such as Cole Hamels or Jordan Zimmermann?
The international prospect was signed back in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic and has spent three years in Boston's farm system. He was with the team during spring training, but didn't record a hit in six plate appearances. However, that's not the case for the youngster in six games with High Class A Salem.
Margot is batting .409/.435/.773 with six runs scored, one home run, three RBIs, two stolen bases and zero strikeouts in six games thus far and has impressed manager Carlos Febles. At this rate, the outfielder could hit Double-A soon and further expedite his journey to reaching the MLB roster.
"I told my hitting coach that he reminds me a lot of Carlos Beltran. I feel like they're the same type of ballplayers," Febles told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "Margot's a bit better offensively at his age . . . Margot is not a guy who's going to hit 35-40 homers, because their bodies aren't the same. Carlos was taller and stronger. But ability, they're right there.
"...He's more under control right now. He's working behind the baseball better than he did last year. He can recognize pitches better than he did last year."
And as for his defense...
"You remember Andruw Jones? I tell you what, [Margot] can play in the big leagues defensively right now. He's that good. That first step he has is amazing. He will get to the baseball. He's smooth going to the baseball, like he's never going to get to it, and then he's there. It's fun to watch. And he has a great arm."
The problem is that, well, the Red Sox already have enough outfielders. Right now their outfield consists of Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts and Shane Victorino, with Brock Holt, Daniel Nava and Allen Craig also available as options. Victorino is slated to become a free agent after the season, but that spot is likely going to be filled by Castillo, who Boston signed to a seven-year, $72.5 million deal last August. He's in the minor leagues right now because the team wants him to get reps rather than ride the pine on the 25-man roster.
This means Margot could potentially be traded if the Red Sox are indeed still looking for an ace as the season progresses. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted Margot could be an option in a deal last week and a group of Arizona State University graduate students calculated a fair trade between the Red Sox and Phillies for Cole Hamels, and interestingly enough, Margot was included in the package deal.
If Margot continues to progress through the farm system, don't be surprised if general manager Ben Cherington dangles the prospect in a package deal for an elite starting pitcher if the team's rotation doesn't perform to his liking by July.
