Hope For The Future

With the 2015 season quickly turning into a raging dumpster fire, it's heartening to read that ESPN's Keith Law ranks the Red Sox's farm system as the best in baseball:

1. Boston Red Sox
January rank: 5
Number of top-50 prospects: 5

Top prospects: Rafael Devers, 3B (ranked 8th in top 50); Yoan Moncada, 2B (11); Manuel Margot, CF (14); Henry Owens, LHP (37); Javier Guerra, SS (48)

The Red Sox have as much potential ceiling -- in terms of players who have at least a fighting chance to become well-above-average regulars or more -- as any organization in baseball, as well as tremendous depth in both position players and pitchers. This sets them up well to make a trade for some major league impact now or this winter.

The top three players in their system are all international signings who have shown huge early promise, as has Guerra and their main signing from July 2, 2014, right-hander Anderson Espinoza, who is already throwing well at age 17 in the Gulf Coast League. They also added, via this year's draft, Golden Spikes Award winner Andrew Benintendi, a power-hitting center fielder with above-average speed who's off to a great start in short-season ball, while fast-rising first baseman Sam Travis (former teammate of Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber at Indiana) already has hit his way to Double-A. And they still have players like third baseman Garin Cecchini, shortstop Deven Marrero and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who would be on the major league rosters of many other MLB teams but are completely blocked in Boston.