MLB Insider Reflects On Red Sox’s Trade Deadline Approach

The Boston Red Sox entered Monday with a 1-4 record since the Aug. 1 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

Plenty of factors went into the moves that were made, or not made, from high-asking prices for pitching despite internal desires for depth to keeping short-term players with a playoff run still within reach.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Monday reflected on Boston’s deadline approach under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, beginning with a general state of the union:

Beyond that, a 30,000-foot view of the Red Sox, the kind required by a person in Bloom’s position, was not exactly encouraging. While the Sox have a top-10 offense, their pitching and baserunning are below-average, and their defense is abysmal — 27th in Defensive Runs Saved, 27th in defensive efficiency and 30th in Outs Above Average.

Among a series of other observations on moves the Red Sox could or could not have made, Rosenthal compared what made this trade deadline different than the previous three during Bloom’s tenure:

In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Red Sox were out of contention. In ’21, with the team challenging for the division lead, Bloom did not believe his farm system was strong enough to make a big push in a seller’s market, and the Sox still wound up advancing to the ALCS. In ’22, operating as a buyer and seller, Bloom obtained two prospects for (Christian) Vázquez and (Reese) McGuire for Jake Diekman, but hardly could be called a big winner. This year, the Sox had the prospect capital to think big, but their playoff odds mitigated their motivation.

The true impact of this year’s trade deadline activity by the Red Sox can’t fairly take shape until the end of this season, at the earliest. We need to see how the team’s young core develops and potentially expands with offseason moves.

Rosenthal closed with the notion that the time is nearing for Boston to take action and give the new-look Red Sox a true chance to compete for a World Series title:

The season is not yet lost. The new Red Sox core is indeed emerging, with more players to come. But if all goes according to plan, the Sox should reach a point when greater urgency at the deadline is required, when they seem assured of a playoff berth and need to improve their chances of winning a World Series. At that point, that math will be undeniable. Bloom will be unable to hedge any longer.

The Red Sox have work to do after being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays. They embark on a 10-game stretch against teams with sub-.500 records — the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals — beginning Monday night.