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By Ben Watanabe
Contributing Sports Writer
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Marcelo Mayer is headed west, and Boston Red Sox fans aren't exactly shattered to see him go.
Once the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox system, Mayer is proof that even the most can't-miss talents are far from sure things. Following a long minor league apprenticeship and multiple chances to seize hold of a job at the MLB level, the Red Sox essentially gave up on the 23-year-old and dealt him to the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
It seemed to be an understandable move for a team that can't afford to wait any longer, now that it harbors postseason aspirations this season. But Mayer's comments on his way out the door were head-scratching.
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According to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, Mayer was "enthused" to get a fresh start in San Francisco. "He's excited about the new opportunity instead of being bitter about the lack of a long leash in Boston," Cotillo wrote on X.
The last part raised the eyebrows of anyone who has been paying attention.
First of all, anybody who has been through a breakup knows that if somebody says they're not bitter, they're totally bitter. Second of all, Mayer's leash was anything but short.
After falling to the Red Sox with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft due to signability issues, Mayer spent parts of five strong but unspectacular seasons in the minor leagues. While he posted .850 and .818 OPS numbers in Double-A and Triple-A, respectively, the organization was careful in exposing him to elite pitching.
In his big league auditions, Mayer was unimpressive, save for a strong 2025 spring training in which he was overshadowed by breakout prospect Kristian Campbell. Across a still-small sample of 364 MLB plate appearances, Mayer has slashed .223/.282/.312 -- hardly the offensive force he was billed as coming out of Eastlake High School in California. Even so, the Red Sox gave him regular time at shortstop and second base, hoping he would seize hold of either position, until he hit the injured list on June 26.
Maybe the best indication of where Mayer's stock sits is the reaction to the trade by the baseball world at large. Nobody cried that the Red Sox or Giants got "duped" in their deal, as they did for Boston's Adley Rutschman trade. In fact, the Mayer trade was hardly noticed at all. That's the most fitting conclusion to draw about Mayer's impact so far -- that despite being given every opportunity as a big leaguer, he's barely a footnote on the transaction register.
More MLB: Rival Evaluator Calls Red Sox Adley Rutschman Trade 'Ridiculous'
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