Prospect Update 8/5: Football is BACK; Sox look towards future after deadline.

The dog days of August of here, which signal a relative dry spot in Boston sports outside of the up-and-down Red Sox. However, this also means that we are that much closer to football season and the Patriots. Between OTAs and a wild MLB Trade deadline, here's what you need to know as we enter the final summer stretch.

Patriots OTAs shining a light on young new stars

There's been lots of buzz around some of the young guys on the Pats roster who have made an impact early on in camp. DT Christian Barmore has been a game-wrecker in drills and has stifled the offensive and 7-on-7 drills more than once. Rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton has impressed in limited time with his speed and hands and should look to be one of Mac Jones' top weapons come season start. Cole Strange, the man who made the world turn upside down on draft night, has taken a large chunk of snaps with the starters and has impressed in drills with his fundamentals. He seems to be the favorite to replace Shaq Mason at right guard this season.

Red Sox add high-impact prospect at the deadline

The Red Sox made one of the earlier moves of the deadline by shipping out their longest-tenured player in Christian Vasquez in exchange for two prospects. While an emotional move that many fans were firmly against, the return itself yielded an intriguing prospect that we could see slamming home runs at Fenway in the near future. Enmanuel Valdez is a lefty bat who has slashed .325/.408/.606 with 22 home runs across AA and AAA this season, including mashing a 3-run homer in his Worcester debut. He hasn't found any footing on defense, but his bat is legit and could find its way up to the roster come September if needed.