Sam Kennedy Explains Why Red Sox Didn’t Make Splash At MLB Trade Deadline

The Red Sox didn’t do much at the Major League Baseball trade deadline. And their performance since Aug. 1 has remained inconsistent.

This obviously raises the question: Why didn’t Boston make a splash that could’ve sparked a late-season playoff push?

Well, it wasn’t for lack of trying, according to Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy.

“There weren’t any other deals that I think would’ve grabbed headlines that we matched up on,” Kennedy said Thursday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” shedding light on Boston’s trade deadline approach. “I can tell you that (Red Sox chief baseball officer) Chaim (Bloom), (general manager Brian O’Halloran) and everyone in baseball operations was trying really, really hard to, as they say in baseball ops, match up on a deal that would help us in the short-term, but we just didn’t get there.

“The interesting thing for our fan base (is) there are so many assets in our system that are desirable and that clubs want and are interested in. And just frankly, we’re not willing to part with them.”

The Red Sox’s pipeline undoubtedly is in a better place now than it was a few years ago, which Kennedy noted in pointing out that Boston recently ranked fourth in FanGraphs’ farm system rankings. This is a hugely positive development as the Red Sox look to build a sustainable World Series contender.

“Just a couple of years ago, when Chaim came in, we were down at the bottom in terms of our minor league system,” Kennedy said. “So, who knows how these prospects will all develop, but there were a lot of inquiries. We just didn’t get to a place where we matched up on anyone that would have been a headline grabber for these final 50 games.”

“The interesting thing for our fan base (is) there are so many assets in our system that are desirable and that clubs want and are interested in.”

Sam Kennedy on the Red Sox’s trade deadline approach

Still, the Red Sox are within striking distance of an American League wild-card spot this season. So, there inevitably are going to be questions about why Boston didn’t do more to increase its postseason odds for 2023, even if that meant tapping into the budding farm system to an extent.

“It’s a fair question,” Kennedy said. “I think just pointing back to what I said earlier about the willingness to part ways with certain players for players on other teams, we just didn’t match up. We didn’t think it was in the best interest of the organization to make certain moves. Can’t go into specific situations because that would violate baseball rules, but I can just tell you there was a lot of activity.”

A lot of chatter, maybe. But not a lot of movement. As such, there will be those who second guess the Red Sox’s trade deadline approach, with the final verdict on their strategy likely not revealing itself for several years.

The Red Sox clearly are putting a lot of stock into their farm system, with the hope of cultivating homegrown talent that’ll comprise Boston’s next long-term core.