When the Boston Red Sox traded Marcelo Mayer ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline, the deal raised some eyebrows.
At one point, the 23-year-old was the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox's farm system and one of the very best overall prospects in baseball. Back in 2023, Mayer was the No. 9 overall prospect in baseball in general. In 2025, he was the No. 12 overall prospect in the game.
But now he's a member of the San Francisco Giants after Boston traded him for lefty reliever Erik Miller and minor league outfielder Carlos Gutierrez. It was a bit surprising to see a 23-year-old former top prospect and the once-expected shortstop of the future moved for a reliever and a minor league outfielder. But Boston made the right move. First and foremost, Miller has been awesome in a Red Sox uniform . The 28-year-old has a 1.23 ERA and a 25-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 appearances for Boston. He has cemented himself as a high-leverage option for Boston in the club's playoff push.
Jun 24, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Red Sox short stop Marcelo Mayer (11) celebrates his double in fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Plus, Mayer hasn't played in a single game for the Giants yet. Mayer's last game in the majors this season was on June 25, still as a member of the Red Sox. In August, he went on a minor league rehab assignment with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats and played in four games before he suffered a setback. He landed on the Injured List with Boston due to a bone stress reaction in his left forearm. Then, he had a setback on his rehab assignment with a foot injury.
On Sep. 11, Mayer went through a pregame workout with the Giants, but he remains out. When healthy, Mayer has plenty of upside. He is young and has all of the talent in the world. But he simply hasn't been able to stay healthy throughout his professional baseball career to this point. When he was coming up through the minors, injuries were among the biggest storylines around him. That has continued into the majors.
In 2024, Mayer played in just 77 games due to a lumbar strain . In 2025, his season was cut short due to injury after he made his big league debut. Mayer played in just 44 games in the big leagues. So far this season, he has played in just 70 games in the majors and there is no end in sight.
For the Red Sox, they added an elite bullpen arm with years of control and traded away a guy who has endless injury question marks. Boston will be just fine in the long run in the infield as well. Trevor Story is healthy and has looked like himself again at shortstop. Soon enough, No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias will get his call to the big leagues and can help at either second base or shortstop. Plus, the Red Sox acquired Curtis Mead ahead of the trade deadline. Boston is going to be just fine in the long run, to say the least. The Mayer deal came as a surprise, but the Red Sox did the right thing.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Red Sox Didn't Make a Mistake Trading Marcelo Mayer Away .
