Red Sox Reportedly Pulling Top Hitter Off The Trade Market Ahead Of Playoff Run
The Boston Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball over the past month. Their lineup is putting up big numbers and their pitching staff is holding it down despite some key absences due to injury.
With the Aug. 1 trade deadline right around the corner, it's been hard to pin down just exactly what the Red Sox and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom intend to do.
A mix of buying and selling at the deadline last season seemed to upset most Red Sox fans, but that was a significantly different situation for this team.
The 2022 Red Sox were fading around the deadline and this club is surging toward a postseason spot, led by a number of the promised young talent that was said to be on the way just a year ago.
One red-hot player on this year's team has been taken off the market. Justin Turner has reportedly drawn trade interest from a number of teams but, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford, the Red Sox have no intent to trade the 38-year-old slugger.
While this shouldn't come as any big surprise considering Turner's 1.040 OPS this month, there could have been a case to be made that this would be an optimal time to get a significant package in return for one of baseball's best hitters right now.
This should be a sign that the Red Sox are looking to add pieces instead of deal them away ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline -- though there still could be a semblance of both.
At the very least all signs seem to be pointing toward Bloom and company positioning this club to continue their pursuit of playing playoff baseball this October. That may not result in some major splashes over the next week, but for a lot of the Red Sox's fan base this is very good news to hear.
More MLB: Multiple Reports Link Red Sox, Phillies For Trade Involving All-Star Slugger
