Four years ago, midway through his final spring training as manager of the Atlanta Braves, Bobby Cox stood on the field before a game and joked that the only times he ever regretted his decision to retire were when he watched Jason Heyward take batting practice.

“It’s like, ‘What the (expletive) are you thinking?’ ” said Cox, placing his hand on his head for emphasis as Heyward put on another power display so ridiculous and typical that the Braves had to install protective netting in front of the staff parking lot beyond the right field bleachers at their ballpark in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. “He’s a special kid.”

Back then, Heyward was the consensus top prospect in baseball and, at age 20, the Braves’ Opening Day right fielder. He was baseball’s “Next Big Thing” before Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Yasiel Puig was tagged with that label, carrying the burden of impossible expectations on his broad shoulders.

And now, he should be the Red Sox’ next right fielder.

For all the fantasizing — and right now, that’s really all it is — about the Sox using their inventory of prospects and a few big leaguers to pull off a blockbuster for Giancarlo Stanton, there still isn’t any indication the Marlins are ready to trade their slugging MVP candidate and the most popular pro athlete in Miami since LeBron James took his basketball and went home to Cleveland.

In time, the Marlins likely will be ready to talk. After all, Stanton is headed back to arbitration and could see his 2015 salary rise to $15 million. And forking over the $200 million or more that will be required to lock up the 24-year-old to a long-term deal would be out of character for owner Jeffrey Loria.

But Stanton also isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season. With ace Jose Fernandez due to return next year from elbow surgery and an emerging group of young hitters, including outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich, it makes more sense for the Marlins to take one shot at the division crown in a winnable NL East before unloading Stanton.

The Braves probably won’t wait so long before moving Heyward, who can become a free agent after next season. And they already have tipped their hand that they don’t plan to keep him long term. In February, they locked up first baseman Freddie Freeman to an eight-year, $135 million extension one day after signing Heyward for only two years and $13.3 million.

Heyward hasn’t lived up to his lofty billing, batting .262 with a .784 OPS and averaging 17 homers and 57 RBI since debuting in 2010. Two years after going deep a career-high 27 times, he has only 10 homers and a .389 slugging percentage while seemingly being miscast as a leadoff hitter for most of the season.

But Heyward can still be a middle-of-the-order force, assuming he’s able to fix the holes that exist in his unorthodox swing. He just turned 25 and hasn’t even entered his prime. Why shouldn’t those years come with the Red Sox?

Heyward would be the left-handed bat the Sox need to balance out an offense that suddenly has a decidedly right-handed lean thanks to the additions of Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig and new Cuban center fielder Rusney Castillo. He also sees his share of pitches and doesn’t tend to rack up high strikeout totals, keeping the line moving through the heart of the batting order.

And Heyward plays Gold Glove-caliber defense, making him a safe bet to handle Fenway Park’s tricky right field as well as Shane Victorino did last season.

Considering Heyward is a year closer to free agency than Stanton, the Braves’ expected return figures to be less. Contractually, it’s similar to when the Red Sox gave up slugging first base prospect Anthony Rizzo, top pitching prospect Casey Kelly and then-A-ball outfielder Reymond Fuentes for Adrian Gonzalez, who was one year from free agency when they acquired him and signed him to an extension.

If the Sox are able to execute a trade-and-sign of Heyward for a package of three or four players, including a top prospect or two, it presumably leaves them with enough assets in both the big leagues and the minors to still make a deal for one of the starting pitchers they will need to rearm the top of the rotation.

Now imagine a Red Sox lineup that features David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Heyward, either Cespedes or Craig, and Xander Bogaerts batting behind table-setters Castillo and Dustin Pedroia.

That’s an offense worth dreaming about.

And it doesn’t even include Stanton.