“We are trying to make postseason‘,” Red Sox baseball head Haim Blum told NESN’s Tom Caron before Tuesday’s game (advice to MassLive.com Christopher Smith). The announcement, made a week before the trade deadline, apparently ended some speculation that the Red Sox would appear to be a seller on the deadline, although Bloom has penned his statement with some interesting caveats:So whatever that means, we’ll explore a lot of things [at the trade deadline]. Some of them may be things that people expect. Some of them may not be. But you know, we want to get this group into the post-season. “
Notably, the Sox lost to The Guardians on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping Boston’s record to 49-50 for the season. With a 7-19 mark over the last 26 games, the Red Sox have gone from leading the wild card race to four completely wild card slot games, and are in last place in the competitive AL East.
If Boston can’t pull some of the gains together quickly, the Sox will likely turn into a full sell position by the August 2 deadline. However, Bloom’s comments seem to hint that the team could try to thread the needle and buy and sell at the same time – perhaps moving some suspended free agents, but adding long-term pieces could also provide some immediate help.
Beyond Bloom’s public comments, Alex Speer of The Boston Globe He writes that when it comes to deadline plans, “tOfficial responses from both inside and outside the organization ranged from “everything is in the game” to “maybe both” to objections to the buy/sell dichotomy and the ignoring of uncertainty.Despite all of these options, a really big change doesn’t seem to be in order, with Bloom (in an interview with WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show) President/CEO Sam Kennedy ruling out the possibility of Xander Bogarts or Raphael Devers It is handled.
“There have been no discussions or comment internally or externally about moves related to the trade deadline involving Xander, Raffy or anyone else to the best of my knowledge. At this point, we’re focused on getting back into this thing and winningKennedy said. Not only have there been conversations about the two superstars,”We don’t plan on it“He had such talks,” Bloom added.
Bogarts could withdraw from his contract after the season, and since the signing of Boston Trevor’s story As for the free agent deal, there was a widespread feeling that Bogarts would play elsewhere in 2023. Extending conversations With both Bogaerts and Devers before the season yielding no progress, which then led to increased speculation about Devers also possibly leaving in free agency after the 2023 campaign.
If shredding isn’t in order, and standing isn’t an option for a team with clear roster needs, the question becomes what kinds of promotions the Red Sox will pursue by August 2. One obvious name on paper doesn’t seem to be a priority, like NBC Sports Boston John Tomasi Reports suggest Sox only had a “quick interest” in the Nationals’ number one base officer Josh Bell. While the Sox had some conversations about Bell, “their interest was described more as tire kicking.”
Base one has been a weak link for the Red Sox all year long, and with Bale possibly the player most likely to be transferred before the deadline, the two sides looked like a logical match. The Bell will be a pure lease, with the slugger assigned to the free agency after the year, and the Nats will be in line to retrieve a compensatory choice if Bell leaves because the eligible bid scheme It will be back in place In the 2022-23 season.
Thus, anything the Sox, or other teams, provide the Nationals for Bell, must be worth more than this compensatory choice for Washington to move forward with the deal. For a team like the Red Sox that may be on the fringes of the competition, this could be a high price to pay, while Other known suitors of Bell Like the Astros, Mets or Brewers it can be more amenable because Bill will increase their chances of winning a championship.