Will he stay or will he go?

For the foreseeable future, the Boston Red Sox will always be a big player in the free agent and trade markets. As much as Red Sox fans hate to admit it, their team exhibits a lot of the traits they used to decry about the Yankees.

When they see a player they want, they make an effort to get him, sometimes at all costs.

And that’s why, for as long as he’s a prospect in the Red Sox organization, Portsmouth’s own Ryan Westmoreland will continue to be mentioned in possible trades.

So when we hear that the Red Sox plan to take a shot at trading for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, don’t be surprised if Westmoreland’s name surfaces as part of a potential deal, as it did when Toronto shopped Halladay last season.

The same goes for any other major trades the Red Sox might pursue. Clearly they value Westmoreland, as evidenced by the $2 million signing bonus they’re paying him, but sellers in the trade market love prospects. And as far as prospects go, few in the Red Sox organization are as promising as Westmoreland.

I’m sure most of Portsmouth is with me in hoping that he stays put and, eventually, makes his major league debut in a Red Sox uniform.

(Although if he were traded to the Brewers, that would be my second choice.)

But the reality is that baseball is, above all, a business, and if the Red Sox see dealing Westmoreland as a solid business move, they’ll pull the trigger.

Unfortunately, for as long as Westmoreland is a pro baseball player, he and his family and friends will have to deal with the stress and uncertainty that goes along with being potential trade bait.