Despite the abundance of injuries manager Terry Francona‘s club has suffered, the Sox are within striking distance to the first-place Yankees and well within reach to the AL wild card top spot. An outside addition would certainly boost the club’s morale and potentially be the spark the team needs to catch fire.
But a trade may not be necessary, as the club is finally receiving good news regarding its wounded ballers. They’re expecting starting left fielder and leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury back shortly, and have already penciled in injured starters Clay Buchholz (Wednesday) and Josh Beckett (Friday) to return to the rubber this week.
Catchers Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek, as well as second baseman Dustin Pedroia, have a ways to go, but all reports indicate that they’re healing nicely.
How many clubs can pick up a 20-game winner, a potential 20-game winner, an All-Star catcher, a former AL MVP, or a leadoff hitter who swiped 70 bags and scored at least 90 runs in the last two seasons at or around this year’s deadline?
While some of these guys will be back sooner than others, each and every player mentioned above is expected back for the final push.
Perhaps a few blockbuster trades will go down, but no teams — other than the Red Sox, that is — can pick up players of this caliber for nothing.
Even though the club has these players all returning before the final stretch run, even the best teams in the league can always improve by adding a role player or key reliever.
After adding Martinez at the deadline in 2009 or Jason Bay in 2008, some Red Sox fans are hoping the club will make another big splash this time around. Are you one of them?
