According to a major league source, the Boston Red Sox are expected to pursue a trade this off-season for Washington Nationals 22-year-old outfielder Bryce Harper.

Boston Manager John Farrell has said time and time again that he and General Manager Ben Cherington will be in “hot pursuit” of left-handed bats to add to the core of their lineup, and none may be more fitting than that of the twenty-two year old “phenom” Bryce Harper. He would fit right in at Right Field in Fenway Park and he could do some serious damage in the middle of that lineup.

Bryce Harper burst onto the scene around the same time as Mike Trout and the two five-tool players were deemed the “next big things” for Major League Baseball. Trout has taken his opportunities and run with them, while Harper has had a few bumps in the road.

Bryce won the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year award, but since that time has battled a flurry of injuries and has been looked at as a player with maturity issues. Obviously such maturity issues would be less of an issue in Boston with veterans such as David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia there to keep the “young kid” in line.

During his Rookie of the Year campaign, Harper slashed .270/.340/.477 with 22 HR’s and 59 RBI’s while playing some tremendous defense and really helping providing a spark to an up and coming Nats team. Bryce battled the injury bug in 2013, but in just 118 games was still able to slash .274/.368/.486 while knocking 20 out of the park and driving in 58. Then this past season in just 100 games he hit 13 homers with 32 runs batted in while slashing .273/.344/.423.

Harper has already had several reported “falling-outs” with members of the Nationals organization specifically Manager Matt Williams. This is the main reason why the team would even entertain trading their young star. Boston has the prospects, the market, the payroll and as stated before the veteran presence to keep him in line. Harper is currently under contract for an extended period of time and is not scheduled to be a free agent until 2019, and he will since he is a Scott Boras client.

What would it cost to get Harper?

Boston will first and foremost need front-of-the-rotation help and could find that by way of the trade market or free agency, or both. The Red Sox Ownership group has been adamant that they will spend their money in order to improve their baseball team for the 2015 season and beyond. This would certainly be not only a step, but a leap in the right direction.

In such package, a source confirmed, Mookie Betts would be attached. Mookie burst onto the scene this past season and handled all of the spotlight and the hype surrounding him swimmingly. He was cool, calm and collected and hit .291 while playing some excellent defense and knocking 5 out of the park. He has some position versatility which the Nationals will more than welcome, and would fit right in with the D.C. market.

Boston has a slew of pitching prospects that would tempt the Nationals including Henry Owens, Matt Barnes, Allen Webster, Brian Johnson, Edwin Escobar, Anthony Ranaudo, Rubby De La Rosa and so on. The Red Sox also have an outstanding Catching prospect in Blake Swihart who will be mentioned frequently in any trade proposal because he is one of the more sought-after prospects in all of baseball.

Boston also has 1B/OF Allen Craig who can be thrown into the package. He has a relatively team-friendly contract and is under control through 2018. He has been a proven run-producer who is coming off a terrible season, but is on track to rebound. He’s a very interesting piece for any team, specifically the Nationals.

Boston has all the pieces to pull of a deal for Bryce Harper and there is definitely mutual interest in a deal being hammered out, we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.