Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox 'Looking To Acquire' Starting Pitching, Shortstop Ahead Of Trade Deadline

Will Boston actually push their chips in?

Scott Neville

Mar 12, 2022; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Craig Breslow arrives during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2022; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Craig Breslow arrives during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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The Boston Red Sox have been teetering on the line of buying and selling all season long with the July 30 trade deadline approaching before you know it.

Despite mediocre results thus far, the Red Sox have found themselves just two games back of an American League Wild Card spot with a 35-34 record. After taking two out of three games from the Philadelphia Phillies, there may be some optimism brewing in Boston.

Should a similar outcome occur in their homestand against the New York Yankees, Breslow will have to seriously consider adding some ancillary pieces instead of trading off impending free agents.

As it turns out, the first time leader of Boston's baseball operations already is devising a plan to improve the current roster.

"The Red Sox are looking to acquire more starting pitching and would love to add a left-hander to their mix," The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported Friday. "They’re also looking for a short-term shortstop to play the position until Trevor Story returns next year after recovering from shoulder surgery. The Diamondbacks activated Geraldo Perdomo this week from the injured list, which could allow them to dangle one of their other shortstops in exchange for bullpen help."

Bowden listed Chicago White Sox's Garrett Crochet, Oakland Athletics' JP Sear, Los Angeles Angels' Tyler Anderson and Miami Marlins' Jesús Luzardo as potential southpaws to infuse into the Red Sox's rotation.

He also mentioned Arizona Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander and Kevin Newman, as well as San Francisco Giants' Nick Ahmed as potential shortstop fill-ins.

There are some intriguing options on the list -- everyone not named Nick Ahmed to be exact. I still hold the position that the Red Sox will become sellers by the time the deadline comes around but this group has plenty of talent to look into should Boston go on an unexpected run.

Alexander is the best position player on the list but has many years of team control and would not align at all with their short-term vision.

Newman is an interesting case. Despite horrendous underlying metrics, the 30-year-old is hitting .278 with 13 extra-base hits including a pair of home runs, 16 RBIs and a .701 OPS (102 OPS+) in 51 games. He's also sporting three outs above average, putting him in the 86th percentile up the middle defensively. The veteran will be a free agent at the end of the season and could be a strong match for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox also should be looking deeply into the pitching market -- all of Bowden's names make sense. That said, there is no reason to be limited to just the left-handed market with many righties worth looking into.

We'll soon find out how aggressive or conservative Breslow will be with a .500ish team at the deadline -- but one thing he almost certainly won't do is try a buy/sell hybrid. His predecessor attempted that strategy in back-to-back years and was promptly fired after doing so.

More MLB: Padres Could Be Perfect Fit For Red Sox High-Leverage Hurler At Trade Deadline

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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