Heartbreaking news: Red Sox player Chris Sale has announced his retirement because of coach
As they continue to chase a postseason berth, the Boston Red Sox are unlikely to be complete sellers ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. However, Chad Jennings of The Athletic notes that the team is also keeping an eye on the future and is unlikely to look to acquire short-term rentals.
in order to combine buying and selling. According to the report, the team “is at least considering trading Adam Duvall (they would commit to Jarren Duran in center field while keeping Rob Refsnyder for right-handed balance in the outfield), and there is still some debate about whether to trade James Paxton.”
He stated that the Red Sox had “looked into several trade targets, most of them pitchers, who have options remaining and would come with several years of team control.”
This past week, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom gave a press conference regarding the team’s overall strategy for the approaching trade deadline:
“I hope that it’s become more visible, especially over the last several weeks, that a lot of what we’ve been talking about with trying to have a core that wins not just now, but that we can keep winning, that a lot of that is starting to be more visible by the day.
You just need to look at that scoreboard to know we’re not where we want to be yet, but it’s also not something that you need to close your eyes and dream about. And so, really, our North Star is just continuing to advance the ball there. We are continuing to build our core.
Those are going to be the most attractive opportunities for us.”
Noting that short-term rentals weren’t his top priority, he did not completely rule out the possibility if the right opportunity presented itself.
With their impending free agency, players like Paxton and Duvall would all make sense as possible outgoing trade chips.
The 34-year-old Paxton’s departure would be more unexpected given Boston’s overall dearth of starting pitcher depth. With a 3.34 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 80 strikeouts in 70 innings, he has been very effective this season, going 6-2 in 13 starts. After missing almost two years due to Tommy John surgery, the veteran pitcher has made an incredible comeback.
With eight home runs, 28 RBI, 24 runs, and a.852 OP, Duvall, 34, has been a reliable presence at the plate. However, after difficulties early in his career, Durran, 26, will eventually be the starting center fielder. He has had his best MLB season thus far this year (.314 with six home runs, 35 RBI, 39 runs, 21 stolen bases, and a.868 OPS in 83 games).
Either way, it’s exciting to keep an eye on the Red Sox. They are currently seven games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East at 56-48, but they are only 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the final Wild Card berth. Making it to the postseason is undoubtedly a chance.
