Boston Red Sox 2023 MLB Trade Deadline Primer
The 2023 MLB Trade Deadline is August 1st and the Boston Red Sox are going to have decisions to make. Chaim Bloom totally blew the deadline last year so we’re hoping for better results this year. The Red Sox are kinda stuck in the middle again. As we sit here today, the Sox are 55-47 and 1.5 games out of wildcard spot. How should the team handle the deadline this year? Let’s talk about it.
The Angels seem to be all in after the trade for Lucas Giolito. It’s going to be really difficult to leap Houston and or Toronto for a wildcard spot. If we’re being truthful, this team just isn’t good enough right now to win a World Series and we have Bloom to blame for that for acting like a coward with the MLB side of the job.
That’s why despite the fact that the Sox are in the mix to make the playoffs, I still contend that they should sell the rental pieces they have on the roster. By no means am I saying that the Sox should give these guys away for free. However, if the return makes sense for James Paxton or Adam Duvall, it’s something you consider. I would also add Nick Pivetta, Christian Arroyo, and Joelly Rodriguez to that list. Three guys that have growing arb numbers I may not want to pay next year.
The depth in the minor league system is growing. There is no such thing as halfway crooks but Boston should consider buying on players that have term left on their deals. This 40-man roster is packed and a lot of young players are going to be itching to get on this roster. By this time next year, you’re going to have to find places on the roster for Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer, and Nick Yorke. This team already has too many second basemen and it’s a pretty crowded outfield.
The system also lacks arms that you can plug into this staff. There are no young guns on that side of things. It’s basically Shane Drohan and Brandon Walter. You also want to plug Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck (who are both hurt) back in the pen. This team needs two starters if they want to be taken seriously and only Brayan Bello is a reliable option heading into the future. I do like Kutter Crawford but he’s a 4th-5th starter on a good team.
That’s really what your goal should be. The system already has so many good bats. It’s time to add arms whether it be in selling off the rentals or buying pitchers with term. That has to be the goal.
Again, you could always buy one in free agency but given the hesitancy to spend under Bloom, I’m not sure that’s a given. Dylan Cease is maybe an option with Chicago in sell mode and is someone who is controllable through 2025. That’s the kind of opportunity you’re looking for here. Cash some chips in to get a real starter.
There are so many caveats that it’s hard to go much deeper than that. Everything depends on what the acquisition cost is for that particular player. The only thing I can stress is that this team needs arms to be competitive down the road. That day is not today but it could be tomorrow as in 2024. That all depends on if Bloom decides he wants to care about the big league club. Something he hasn’t done. A reminder all of this could have been avoided if he was smart enough to keep Nathan Eovaldi.
