Why Upstart Red Sox Should Be Buyers Before 2024 MLB Trade Deadline

The Boston Red Sox sit just outside of a playoff position after being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the unofficial second half of the season.

That should (for the moment) not overshadow the commendable strides Boston made to ignite a young team into contention over the last month. The Red Sox began the season with the overwhelming inability to break from .500 play. Then, back-to-back series wins against the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at home truly allowed the Red Sox to turn the corner and take MLB's best record since May 19 into the All-Star break.

Boston also made up significant ground in the American League East standings and allowed the ballclub to at least enter that conversation, which would have seemed irrelevant at other points of the season.

The Red Sox are young and exciting with a sustainable playing style and an emerging pitching staff. They may not be favorites from championships, but Boston clearly is on the first step of building one over the next few years.

With that said, investments need to start now for a young core to learn how to contend and earn the opportunity for experience.

Here's three reasons why the Red Sox should absolutely add at the 2024 MLB trade deadline:

IMPROVE KEY ROSTER AREAS
Like every contender always can, the Red Sox certainly have positions to improve.

Boston would certainly benefit from adding another starting pitcher and a right-handed bat.

The Red Sox have had tremendous starting pitching throughout the year with Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford leading the charge. Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta found pockets of consistency. At the same time, those arms are climbing and even surpassing innings totals higher than any point of their careers. Not only to add production but to manage workloads, the Red Sox would greatly benefit from another starting pitcher.

Who wouldn't?

As for the lineup, Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers have provided thunder and lighting for the Red Sox in recent weeks to spark the group. The one area for concern is struggles against left-handed starting pitching. Connor Wong and Ceddanne Rafaela are the only true everyday right-handed bats in the Boston order, so the Red Sox could use another righty to add balance and production at the plate.

PREPARE YOUNG CORE
The Red Sox are on the doorstep of returning to legitimate contention in the coming years, especially with new prospect talent on the immediate horizon.

That starts with a realistic path to the playoffs this year, that the Red Sox should be doing everything they can to get their young players to October.

Young players such as Duran, Wong, Bello, Crawford, Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, just to name a few, are instilling themselves in the core and could take major steps forward with meaningful baseball to play and learn from this season.

APPEAL TO ALEX CORA
Boston's success largely in part should be credited to its manager in 2024.

Cora continues to squeeze every ounce of production out of his young ballclub as he builds a legitimate Manager of the Year campaign in a contract year for the Red Sox.

Before Cora heads to free agency, the Red Sox need to show their manager why he should stay in Boston and be ready to keep building off of this season's progress to title contention after this year.