Beantown is buzzing with a fresh surge of hope. After a thrilling 11–7 victory over their fiercest rivals, the Yankees, the Red Sox showed they still have fight left. But beneath the celebration, tension is building. With rising star Roman Anthony dominating at Triple-A, the team faces a tough reality. They could leverage his talent to shake up the AL East. But to unleash Anthony’s full potential, the Red Sox will have to make some bold moves, and maybe that means moving a key duo to clear his path.

Demands to bring up Anthony have been constant, and they’re growing louder with each passing day. How can it not be, when he’s been smashing it at Worcester? He could be the perfect solution to the position drama that has been troubling the Red Sox since the start of the season. The problem with the delay, however, is this: in such a crowded roster, where do you find room for a talent like him? Boston could use some guidance from the former Mets GM Steve Phillips in this case. If his plan holds up, trading a duo might be the key to fixing things.

While Phillips was talking on MLB Network Radio, he shared a plan that included two of the Red Sox’s players who are enjoying their third season with the team. Well, it’s definitely good news for Anthony, but for Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, it’s not. “I would not be afraid to trade Abreu or a Rafaela. If I get some pitching back in return, some young controllable pitching back in return, I would make a strong consideration of doing a deal to… It would improve my team on the pitching side, which I need. And it would clear the spot for Anthony, where I think he’s going to be an absolute,” Phillips said. But don’t get Phillips wrong, both of them are doing pretty well at what they do.

Rafaela is hitting .244/.269/.394/.690 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs. Remember the 308-foot homer from this center fielder against the Angels? They won that game 11-9 on its back. What about Abreu? He is hitting .245/.321/.471/.792 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs. That’s solid performance, but Anthony has been on another level, and his second grand slam this week, a record-setting blast, proves it. “He hit a 497-foot home run, the longest home run hit this year anywhere over the weekend. The kid is going to be a star. And so I look at it and think, I start shopping now for the pitching that I need, and I’ve got chips to do it. I keep Anthony. I like Abreu, but you’ve got to give up something to get something,” Phillips added.

If trading Abreu and Rafaela opens up the door to a player with once-in-a-generation hype, it is worth every bit of risk. As MLB insider Jeff Passan pointed out earlier, “Every day Roman Anthony’s not in the big leagues, that’s a day he could have won a game for this team.” And frankly, they could have had a perfect spot if they had handled all the Rafael Devers position drama neatly. Since that’s no longer the case, they need to explore every possible option. While Phillips suggested pulling the plug on the duo, according to Ken Rosenthal, the remedy for Anthony’s situation might come in the form of a 22-year-old rookie.

Roman Anthony for Kristian Campbell?

Anthony has emerged as the crown jewel from Boston’s farm system. And as Red Sox manager Alex Cora put it, “He’s not knocking at the door, he’s kicking it.” The fans’ calls to see him play at Fenway are growing louder, and rightfully so, considering he is hitting .290 with 10 home runs and a .916 OPS on top of the 497-foot blast. According to Ken Rosenthal, moving their second baseman, Kristian Campbell, is the perfect solution to make space for him on the roster.

“This isn’t complicated. Campbell for Anthony. Improve the offense, improve the defense. The Red Sox’s talent is better than their record shows. But they need to start putting that talent in the right places, once and for all,” he wrote in The Athletic column. He suggested that Campbell “needs more defensive reps at Triple-A.” If the Red Sox are looking for an opening for Anthony, this is something they can consider, as Campbell’s struggles at second base have been evident after his stellar first month.

His performance earned him AL Rookie of the Month honors in April, and sure, his 2-run home run in the finale against the Yankees can’t be ignored. But staying consistent has become a problem for him. The team’s experiment with him at first base hasn’t helped this, he’s currently hitting just .233 with 6 home runs, 20 RBIs, and an OPS of .687. So, it is a sensible plan to pull the plug on him if it means they’ll get Anthony in return.

There are plenty of options being delivered to the Red Sox from every corner of the MLB world. Now it is their chance to make the call, whether it’s moving a player to the minors or trading them off. Because the payoff from those tough decisions could be their salvation, Roman Anthony.