That help could come when their starting rotation comes back to full strength. Clay Buchholz came off the disabled list on Wednesday against in Oakland, and Josh Beckett is due to pitch Friday in Seattle.
Or the savior could be in the form of a relief pitcher via trade, and there are many available bullpen stoppers around the league that the Red Sox could acquire.
But there’s nothing like more offense. After all, the team that scores the most runs wins the game, right?
Boston’s offense may be among the best in baseball, and it may be expecting All-Stars Victor Martinez and Dustin Pedroia back shortly, but you can never have enough big bats.
All that said, here are five sluggers on the trading block that the Red Sox could acquire by July 31.
Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers
As well as Hart is playing in 2010, he would fit in just about anywhere.
Apparently, Buster Olney agrees, as the ESPN analyst went on WEEI on Thursday and said that Hart would be a “good fit for the Red Sox.”
Hart is having a career year for Milwaukee, leading the team in average (.290), RBIs (70) and OPS (.908). The two-time All-Star is also tied for fourth in the NL with 22 home runs, and his RBI total ranks second behind Ryan Howard’s 75.
Hart also can steal a base, when needed. The 28-year-old has only 16 combined steals in the last two seasons, but had 23 in 2007 and 2008.
But perhaps the most intriguing thing about Hart is his ability to play all three outfield positions. Though he’s started all of his 87 games in right field for the Brewers in 2010, Hart has plenty of experience in center and left.
Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies
Werth may just be Corey Hart’s long-lost brother. They are just about as similar as any two ballplayers could be, from their position, to their numbers and even their facial hair (Werth’s beard is a tad bit furrier, but Hart’s doesn’t lag too far behind).
Like Hart, Werth is on the trading block, as the Phillies are looking to move the upcoming free agent in order to acquire a starting pitcher for the stretch run.
Werth started off the season scorching hot, finishing April with a .986 OPS, 14 RBIs and 11 doubles. He followed that month with an impressive May, hitting six homers and driving in 19.
Since then, the Phillies’ right fielder has been a little sluggish, but his overall 2010 numbers — .277 average, 13 homers, 29 doubles, 50 RBIs and an .864 OPS — are rock solid.
Another similarity to Hart: Werth can play all three outfield positions effectively.
The one knock on Werth this year has been his atrocious .159 average with runners in scoring position. With two outs and ducks on the pond, Werth is batting a putrid .111.
But that may all be just a bump in the road for the 2009 All-Star. Werth has been a consistent playoff performer for the Phillies over the last two seasons, including his 1.044 OPS in 35 career postseason games.
Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals
Look up the word power in the dictionary, and you see a picture of Dunn.
The 30-year-old first baseman has continued to sharpen his mammoth stroke in D.C. this year, as he’s tied for first in the NL with 23 home runs to go along with 61 RBIs (ninth in the NL) and a .933 OPS (third).
Dunn has 338 home runs in his career between Cincinnati and Washington. And while he hasn’t exactly cut down on his strikeout totals — Dunn’s on pace for a career-high 202 K’s in 2010 — the slugger’s average has increased in each of the last three seasons.
Dunn plays first base for the Nationals, a spot securely occupied by Kevin Youkilis in Boston. However, Dunn can also play both corner outfield positions and has a cannon for an arm.
Josh Willingham, Washington Nationals
Dunn’s teammate in Washington, Willingham made his bones in the big leagues smashing dingers for the Marlins from his first full season in 2006 through 2008.
The 31-year-old has an .881 OPS with 15 homers for the Nationals in 2010, but that’s nothing new for Willingham, one of the most underrated power hitters in all of baseball. The slugger has a career OPS of .846 and has hit 21 or more homers three times in his career — 2006 (26), 2007 (21) and 2009 (24).
Maybe the reason Willingham never gets the love he deserves is because he’s played in two of the smallest baseball markets in the country throughout his short big league career. But if he were to go to Boston — where he could play either of the corner outfield spots — Willingham would become an instant fan favorite. A right-handed power hitter, the Green Monster would undoubtedly be a friend to Willingham.
Ty Wigginton, Baltimore Orioles
The Red Sox have certainly seen enough of this guy in 2010, but they’d be happy to add him to the roster.
The O’s second baseman has posted a .903 OPS in 41 at-bats against Boston in what is turning out to be his career year.
Wigginton wasn’t even supposed to start at second base for the Orioles coming out of spring training, but due to an injury to All-Star Brian Roberts, the job was his.
And thanks to a stellar first half in which he hit 14 homers and drove in 45, Wigginton became the O’s All-Star second baseman.
With Pedroia not due back for at least a couple of weeks, Wigginton would be an excellent replacement in the meantime. And when Pedroia does come back, Wigginton — a utility man by nature — can fill in at both corner outfield positions, third and first base.
Will the Red Sox acquire one of the aforementioned sluggers? General manager Theo Epstein has the final say, but he knows that it’s never a bad thing to have too many power hitters.
Which slugger would you most like to see the Red Sox acquire?Market Research
