The Red Sox remain in the thick of the American League wild-card race with one week until the 2023 Major League Baseball trade deadline, increasing the likelihood that Boston will be buyers with an eye toward a potential playoff push.
So, what could the club target before next Tuesday’s deadline?
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom revealed Sunday on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio that Boston is interested in acquiring starting pitching and perhaps a left-handed-hitting middle infielder.
The latter could be difficult to find, let alone land, and most contenders are in the market for pitching this time of year, complicating Boston’s efforts on that front.
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“I think pitching, especially with some of the hits we’ve taken depth-wise,” Bloom said. “And again, our group’s done a great job of filling in those gaps, and actually since starting out the season kind of shaky on the pitching front, we’ve really thrown the ball well now for a number of months and hoping to continue that. But just the way pitching is in the game, some of the hits we’ve taken and, again, knowing this is a marathon and more things are going to happen, no one ever has enough pitching and you’ve got 30 clubs — as you know, you guys talk to everybody — you’ve got 30 clubs out there looking for pitching, and so it’s definitely something that’s on our radar screen right now as we weed into the deadline.
“We’re not alone in that, obviously. We know that. … However you think it’s going to set up in March, April, you’re going to look up in June, July and it’s going to look a lot different. And however you think it’s going to set up the rest of the way right now, the expectation is we’re going to look up in September, October and it’s probably going to look a little different. So, you want to make that group as thick as you can.”
The Red Sox have been forced to piece together their rotation in recent weeks, with Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Corey Kluber all on the injured list.
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Those pitchers’ impending returns could provide a much-needed boost, just as Trevor Story’s comeback should enhance Boston’s offense and middle-infield defense, but it’s always risky to rely too much on players coming off injuries. There’s inherent uncertainty involved, and as such, the Red Sox would be best served acquiring additional reinforcements before the trade deadline.
This week could go a long way toward determining how aggressive the Red Sox are on the trade market. They entered Monday just two games back of the AL’s third wild-card spot and have two games against the Atlanta Braves — the best team in baseball — before heading to the West Coast for three games against the San Francisco Giants and three games against the Seattle Mariners, two other clubs battling for a postseason berth.
Featured image via Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports Images
