MLB Writer Names Area Red Sox Should Try To Upgrade Ahead Of Trade Deadline

Although the Boston Red Sox starting pitchers have fared well lately, could the team use a trade-deadline boost in this department?

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Friday named the starting rotation as a potential upgrade the Red Sox should pursue ahead of the July 30 Major League Baseball trade deadline. Boston’s starters exceeded expectations in the first half of the season — largely due to their durability — but Feinsand believes depth could become an issue in the latter stage of the campaign.

“Boston’s starting rotation has been consistent in just one area: availability,” Feinsand wrote. “The Red Sox have used just six starters all season, with Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Eduardo Rodriguez, Garrett Richards and Martín Pérez making all but two starts through the first 88 games.

“But Eovaldi and Pérez are the only starters with an ERA below 4.00, with Rodriguez (5.52) and Richards (4.88) struggling to find a groove. Chris Sale is expected to return in the second half, but the addition of another starter would be a help for a team with postseason aspirations.”

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While Red Sox starters are enjoying a good run, their earlier struggles have made the group an area of concern at points in the season. Sale’s and Tanner Houck’s respective comebacks from injury might bolster the rotation, but they still will have to prove their durability and consistency in order to be seen as reliable pieces during the stretch run and the postseason.

Should Boston take Feinsand’s advice and acquire a starter in the coming weeks, it would represent another gamble in the ongoing effort to bolster the rotation. Between a newcomer, Sale and Houck, there’s a good chance one might pay off. Thankfully the Red Sox have amassed some wiggle room via their strong start to the season.