The Boston Red Sox were certainly active participants ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline on Tuesday.
After all the wheeling and dealing Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom did, he added three players to the major league roster in first baseman Eric Hosmer, outfielder Tommy Pham, and catcher Reese McGuire. Bloom also deducted from the team, trading fan favorite catcher Christian Vázquez and lefty reliever Jake Diekman.
The Red Sox also made several other roster moves once the trade deadline passed, including activating star third baseman Rafael Devers off the injured list.
So with all the moves, the Red Sox made, let’s take a look at how Boston’s roster shapes up at the moment as it gets ready for the stretch run.
Catcher (2): Kevin Plawecki, Reese McGuire
With Vázquez now with the Houston Astros, the catching responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of Plawecki and McGuire. It feels like this will be a platoon situation with Plawecki getting the nod a little more often due to his familiarity with the Red Sox’s pitching staff.
First base (2): Eric Hosmer, Bobby Dalbec
The Red Sox are getting a massive defensive upgrade at first base by acquiring Hosmer from the San Diego Padres. Hosmer, who batted .272 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 90 games with the Padres this season, is likely to be the everyday first baseman with Dalbec presumably starting against left-handed pitchers. Boston optioned Franchy Cordero to Triple-A Worcester, so he won’t factor in at first base for the time being.
Second base (2): Yolmer Sánchez, Trevor Story (IL)
Sánchez will most likely get the bulk of the opportunities at the middle infield spot with Story still on the injured list.
Shortstop (1): Xander Bogaerts
Bloom stuck to his word and didn’t trade away Bogaerts. Expect him to be in the lineup as much as possible down the stretch.
Third base (1): Rafael Devers
It has to be nice for the Red Sox to get Devers back after he dealt with a hamstring ailment. If he needs a day to rest, manager Alex Cora could always slide Dalbec over to the hot corner.
Infield utility (1): Christian Arroyo
Arroyo’s contributed since his recent return from the injured list. It seems that the experiment of playing him in the outfield is over, and he can fill in at several different spots in the infield in a pinch.
Outfield (5): Alex Verdugo, Tommy Pham, Jarren Duran, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jaylin Davis
The most important note for the Red Sox’s outfield is Pham will slot in at left field with Cora deciding to move Verdugo to right. It still seems like Cora favors Duran in center over Bradley, but that could change. If Cora wants to deploy more of a defensive lineup, he could easily put Bradley in center.
Designated Hitter (1): J.D. Martinez
Martinez’s name was in plenty of trade rumors, but he’s staying put in Boston. Hopefully, Martinez can get back on track at the plate with the trade deadline behind him.
Starting Pitchers (6): Brayan Bello, Rich Hill, Kutter Crawford, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Josh Winckowski
The Red Sox starting rotation seems pretty much set, but Hill coming back throws a little bit of a wrinkle into it. How exactly Cora will use Hill upon his return remains to be seen. Michael Wacha is also working his way back from injury and will assume his spot in the rotation when he returns.
Relievers (7): Ryan Brasier, Austin Davis, Tanner Houck, Kaleb Ort, Hirokazu Sawamura, John Schreiber, Garrett Whitlock
By trading away Diekman, the Red Sox currently only have one left-handed pitcher in their bullpen in Davis. But things seem to be shaping up fine with Whitlock looking like himself in the role he thrived in last year.
