This story is an excerpt from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here. Also, subscribe to receive it delivered to your inbox on a regular schedule.
DENVER — It’s worth noting that, despite a 1-5 road trip following the All-Star break, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow appears to be as enthusiastic about his team as he was a week ago.
The Red Sox have four games remaining before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, three of which are this weekend at Fenway Park against the Yankees and one on Monday against the Mariners.
Breslow plans to purchase rather than sell in those four games, assuming nothing goes wrong.
Heading into Thursday’s off-day, the Red Sox (54-47) are six games back in the American League East and one game behind the Royals (56-47) for the third Wild Card spot. The 1-5 road trip wasn’t as bad as it looked, record-wise, because the Sox could easily have gone 4-2 — if not for three late-inning meltdowns by a bullpen that has been solid most of the year. “It’s quite clear that we haven’t had the best start to the second half,” Breslow said. “I also think it’s really difficult to read too much into the individual games. Now, if these start to become a trend, then the question we have to ask ourselves is, ‘What do we think we’re capable of in the second half?’ But
That said, what do the Red Sox need? Three areas stand out. Starting pitching
The front four of Tanner Houck, Nick Pivettta, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello is a group the Sox are reasonably confident in. The fifth spot has rotated between Cooper Criswell and Josh Winckowski. Boston is vulnerable if it gets another injury in the rotation, and that’s why adding another starter figures to be Breslow’s top priority before Tuesday’s Deadline.
Lefty James Paxton — designated for assignment after beating Boston on Sunday — could fit like a glove because he is familiar with the clubhouse and the training staff after spending the 2023 season in Boston. If the Sox were willing to trade high-end prospects, they could make a run at Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal. Garrett Crochet of the White Sox, Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson and Tigers righty Jack Flaherty are other pitchers who figure to be on the market. Bullpen help
Losing key right-handed setup men Justin Slaten and Chris Martin to right elbow injuries at the same time was the catalyst to the rough trip coming out of the break. And closer Kenley Jansen didn’t go to Colorado due to a pre-existing heart condition that gets exacerbated by high altitude. While Jansen will be back in action on Friday night, there’s no set timetable for Slaten and Martin to return. Also, Liam Hendriks had hoped to be back from Tommy John surgery by the Trade Deadline, but he’s likely at least a month away from returning at this point.
Expect Breslow to be aggressive in his pursuit of bullpen arms. Angels closer Carlos Estévez, Tigers left-hander Andrew Chafin, Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, Nationals righty Kyle Finnegan, Blue Jays righty Trevor Richards and Marlins lefty Tanner Scott are pieces that could fit. A right-handed bat.
This season, the Red Sox have struggled against left-handed pitching due to the fact that several of their top hitters are lefties. Boston is still reeling from the loss of Trevor Story’s right-handed bat. Though Story believes he will play at some time, it will most likely be in September. And even that may be a long shot. Who could become this year’s Steve Pearce?
Perhaps Justin Turner of Toronto, the Red Sox’s clubhouse leader and top clutch hitter in 2023? Tommy Pham, a former White Sox outfielder, is another potential fit. Though Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler hasn’t had much of a season thus far (.697 OPS), he crushed 36 home runs for the Marlins in 2023 and may be deadly at Fenway.
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