The Major League Baseball trade deadline is approaching, and the Boston Red Sox — in the standings, at least — are in a very familiar position.
The Red Sox own first place in the American League East and enter play Thursday with a 54-42 record, which is just one game off their pace at this point last season when they went on to win the division.
That’s obviously pretty good. But the Red Sox are going about their business in a different way this season. The loss of David Ortiz certainly has taken its toll on the lineup, as has some surprisingly light power numbers from players like Xander Bogaerts and Hanley Ramirez.
The Red Sox scored five runs Wednesday, and it was the 11th time this season they’ve scored at least five runs without hitting a home run, which leads the majors. No other American League team has more than seven such games.
The Red Sox are scoring runs despite their lack of power. Even though they’ve hit the fifth-fewest home runs, they’ve scored the 10th-most runs. But they’re still pretty far off last season’s offensive pace. The Sox averaged 5.4 runs per game in 2016; they’re averaging just 4.7 runs per game this season.
With the deadline nearing, it makes sense for the club to search for some sort of offensive upgrade. It makes even more sense when you consider this stat: The Red Sox have won their last 21 games — and 38 of their last 40 — when they score five runs or more.
Their winning percentage in those games for the season is .891, and only the Washington Nationals have a better winning percentage in such games.
So while the Red Sox’s offense isn’t producing at the same level that fans became accustomed to seeing last season, there’s a very clear and defined mark where they go from a very good team to an elite team.
What the Red Sox lacked in offense, they’ve been able to make up for with pitching, the biggest reason they’ve been able to keep up their 2016 pace. Boston ranks fourth in MLB in fielding independent pitching (FIP) after ranking eighth in the same stat last season. Chris Sale obviously has played a big role in that, but Rick Porcello has been better than his record suggests, David Price looks more like a $30 million pitcher every start and Craig Kimbrel is arguably the best closer in baseball.
Boston reportedly eyed Chicago White Sox slugger Todd Frazier before the New York Yankees swooped in and acquired him. According to reports, Boston remains intent on upgrading its offense.
If the Red Sox can add an impact bat — a reliever wouldn’t hurt, either, if you want to be greedy — before the July 31 deadline, it could go a long way toward positioning them for success in October, when that rotation could look rather daunting in a short series, especially if Boston is closer to that magic five-run mark.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
