McAdam: Catching up on the prospects Red Sox traded away

With less than two weeks to go before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Red Sox find themselves at a distinct disadvantage. Their minor league system has been thinned out by a handful of graduations to the big leagues (Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers), but mostly by a series of trades made by Dave Dombrowski that addressed needs at the major league level.

Some four years ago, the Red Sox had one of the game's most valued farm systems; now, most valuations have it ranked in the bottom third in the industry. (Even worse, the two highest-rated prospects are off the table this summer: pitcher Jay Groome underwent Tommy John surgery in May and infielder Michael Chavis just recently returned from an 80-game PED suspension).

Here's a look back at the trades Dombrowski made, how the prospects have fared with their new organizations and judgments about the deals in hindsight:

1. November 13, 2015: Red Sox trade OF Manual Margot, LHP Logan Allen, INF Carlos Asuaje and SS Javy Guerra to the San Diego Padres for RHP Craig Kimbrel.

Margot has been the Padres' starting center fielder the last two seasons and is a standout defender with strong defensive metrics. Offensively, however, he's been a disappointment with a career .700 OPS and little power or stolen base ability. Asuaje, who made his debut in 2016 and contributed at the big league level last season, was the Padres' starting second baseman at the beginning of the year, but struggled at the plate and was sent back to Triple-A to work on his hitting. He's since returned but is slashing just .229/.315/.319. At this point, he appears to be a utility infielder. Guerra was called up by the Padres for a brief two-game stint in May, but is still at Triple-A, regarded as a strong defender with questionable offensive upside. The best prospect of the four is Allen, currently at Double-A and ranked by most evaluators as the eighth- or ninth-best prospect in a loaded farm system. Allen's fastball is 92-94 mph to go with a changeup and curveball and he's overcome some early arm issues to blossom. It's conceivable he could get a look from the Padres in September.

Kimbrel, meanwhile, has been a three-time All-Star with the Red Sox. His 2017 season was one of the best ever for a Red Sox closer (.0681 WHIP; 16.4 strikeouts per 9 IP). In just over two and a half seasons, he's compiled a 2.16 ERA and racked up 96 saves.

WINNER: Red Sox.

Allen may someday be a solid mid-rotation starter, the likes of which the Red Sox haven't developed in years, but neither infielder profiles as an average major leaguer and Margot, while a standout in center, hasn't hit much. Kimbrel has given the Sox stability at the back end of their bullpen and will be difficult to replace should he leave via free agency this fall.

2. July 9, 2016: Red Sox trade RHP Jose Almonte and INF Luis Alejandro Basabe for RHP Brad Ziegler.

3. July 14, 2016: Red Sox trade RHP Anderson Espinoza to the Padres for LHP Drew Pomeranz.

This deal was highly controversial at the time because Espinoza, then just 17, was one of the highest-rated pitchers in the Red Sox system. But, in a reminder of how fragile young pitchers can be, Espinoza missed the first half of 2017 with an elbow injury and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in July. He missed the rest of last season and won't pitch until the fall Instructional League while recovering from the procedure.

Pomeranz has been a mixed bag for the Red Sox, with his own share of injury setbacks. He was OK in the second half of 2016, for a time stabilizing the rotation. He gave up a critical homer in relief in the 2016 ALDS sweep to Cleveland. Last year, he was the team's second-best starter, winning 17 games and posting a 3.32 ERA, though he again failed in the postseason. This year, his season was again delayed by a forearm injury and he pitched poorly in eight starts (1-3, 6.81) before going back on the DL with biceps tendinitis. He's currently at Triple-A Pawtucket attempting to correct some mechanical flaws.

WINNER: Red Sox, by default.

At this point, with Pomeranz headed for free agency this fall and Espinoza having not pitched since the second-half of 2016, it's all about projection for the slim righthander. But the Sox might not have won the division in either of the last two seasons without Pomeranz. If he can return in the second half and contribute more, it will move the needle more in favor of the Sox.

4. Dec. 6, 2016: Red Sox trade INF Travis Shaw, SS Mauricio Dubon, RHP John Pennington and INF Yeison Coca for RHP Tyler Thornburg.

Shaw was already an established major league at the time of the trade and had a terrific 2017 season with the Brewers, with 31 homers and 101 RBI and an OPS of .862. This season, his performance has dipped, but he's still provided good production (18 homers, 55 RBI). Dubon suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in May and is lost for the season, but Dubon has demonstrated plus speed and shown occasional power. Some think a lack of arm strength will eventually move him to second base. Pennington, who had already undergone Tommy John surgery, announced in May that he needed a second such procedure and said he was retiring from baseball. Coca just turned 19 and is still playing at Rookie Ball level and remains very much a project.

Thornburg missed all of 2017 after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in June of 2017. He just recently made his Red Sox debut two weeks ago and has pitched well since being activated. The Sox hope, in time, he can be the pitcher he was for the Brewers in 2016 and be a major bullpen piece in the second half of the season.

WINNER: Brewers, easily.

If this trade had merely been Shaw for Thornburg, the Brewers would still have come out ahead. Add in the likelihood of future contributions from Dubon and perhaps Coca, and it's a slam dunk win for Milwaukee. This stands as Dombrowski's worst deal with the Red Sox.

5. Dec.6, 2016: Red Sox trade INF Yoan Moncada, RHP Michael Kopech, Victor Diaz and Luis Alexander Basabe to the Chicago White Sox for LHP Chris Sale.

At the time, Moncada was the top-rated prospect in the organization and one of the handful of top-ranked prospects in all of baseball. He's been a disappointment at the major league level, with occasionally sloppy play at second and difficulty making contact. He's on pace to strikeout more than 200 times and needs work with his plate discipline. He's shown flashes of power (12 homers, 19 doubles). It's also worth noting that he's just 23 and hasn't reached his ceiling. After a strong season at Double-A last year, Kopech has regressed at Triple-A, with a 4.42 ERA, a WHIP of 1.392 and an elevated walk rate (5.8 per nine innings). He has a triple-digit plus-plus fastball, but clearly needs to improve his command. Diaz has been a disappointment, struggling at Single-A last year and was recently shut down in A ball with a shoulder injury. Basabe recently attracted attention with a two-run homer in the Futures Game in Washington D.C. last Sunday. He was promoted to Double-A Birmingham last month and is viewed as an athletic center fielder with speed and some power.

Sale has arguably been the best starter in baseball since joining the Red Sox. He's started for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Games and since coming to Boston is 27-12 with a 2.65 ERA, a 0.944 WHIP, 13.0 strikeouts per nine innings and a combined WAR of 11.6.

WINNER: Red Sox.

It's possible that Moncada's athleticism turns him into an All-Star in the future and Kopech becomes the front-line starter that the Sox have failed to develop internally. But the Red Sox got three years of perhaps the best starting pitcher in the game, at a reasonable salary, in his prime. How can you second guess that?

6. July 26, 2017: Red Sox trade RHP Shaun Anderson and RHP Gregory Santos for INF Eduardo Nunez

Anderson is pitching at Double-A Richmond and doing reasonably well, with a 5-4 mark and 3.45 ERA, albeit with a high WHIP (1.223). Santos won't turn 19 until next month is only no pitching in Low A.

Nunez was a nice sparkplug for the first month or so the Red Sox obtained him, injecting some life into a dead lineup while proving useful at a number of positions in the infield. But since he hurt his knee in September, he hasn't been the same player. By necessity, the Sox have used him out of position at second base this year, where his play has been well below-average and his offensive game a disappointment.

WINNER: Too soon to tell.

As disappointing as Nunez -- re-signed as a free agent in February -- has been this season, both prospects are still in the low minors for the Giants and difficult to project.

7. July 31, 2017: Red Sox trade RHPs Stephen Nogosek, Gerson Bautista and Jamie Callahan to the New York Mets for RHP Addison Reed.

None of the pitchers sent to the Mets was considered a top prospect, with only Callahan ranked among the organization's Top 20 prospects list -- and toward the bottom, for that matter. Callahan made it to the big leagues last September when rosters expanded and appeared in nine games with an ERA of 4.05. After starting the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, he was sidelined with a shoulder injury and underwent season-ending surgery last month. Bautista was double-jumped from the Eastern League in May to make his major league debut. He has triple-digit velocity on his fastball, but to date, has struggled with command with a high walk rate in the minors and has allowed 42 hits in 29.2 innings between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas. Very much a project. Nogosek dominated at High-A Port St. Lucie earlier this year, earning a promotion to Binghamton, where, in a very small sample size, he struggled greatly.

Reed was a short-term rental for the Red Sox, and pitched decently, appearing in 29 games with a 3.33 ERA. He had a propensity for giving up the long ball (five homers in 27 innings) though he averaged a strikeout per inning and compiled an impressive 0.926 WHIP. He was acquired in part because the Sox wanted someone with closing experience as an alternative to Kimbrel, but never pitched in a save situation. He left as a free agent -- without much interest from the Sox --and signed a two-year deal with Minnesota over the winter.

WINNER: Draw.

Reed helped some down the stretch, but not as much as hoped. Meanwhile, the ceiling for three prospects the Mets received is modest. About the best they can hope for is that one of the three turns into a seventh-inning guy.