The Boston Red Sox are in an unusual position heading into the final weeks before the trade deadline.
Entering Saturday, the Red Sox held a 44-45 record that was good enough for fourth place in the American League East and 2 1/2 games out of a wild card spot.
Despite being too good to sell and not good enough to contend currently, team icon David Ortiz told DJ Siddiqi of RG.org that he wants his former team to be aggressive at the end of the month.
“The trade deadline is coming. You start focusing on what you need and what you can get out there,” Ortiz told Siddiqi. “There is some money available now, and I guess all they need is to go and be aggressive during this trade deadline. In two months, you can change all that if you go and pick the pieces you need.”
A rotation headlined by Garrett Crochet was supposed to be the focal point of this Red Sox team, but the group hasn’t lived up to expectations. Walker Buehler and Tanner Houck have been major disappointments, leaving the rotation with no more than three quality starters at a time.
Ortiz doesn’t want the team to panic buy, but he believes moves have to be made.
“It’s not critical yet,” Ortiz was quoted as saying. “I think they’re trying to survive into the trade deadline, which is at the end of this month, and go and pick something special that can give them some guidance. I think we’ll be all right. I think we can go for the player one. … Let’s see what’s available, let’s see what people want, let’s see if they can get what they need. Because if you look at the division, everybody is three, four, five games apart and there’s a lot of games left.”
The main priority for the Red Sox needs to be holding on to Alex Bregman for the remainder of the season. If he leaves Boston, the team can forget about contention.
If the Red Sox can get him and his agent, Scott Boras, to agree to that, then the team now has the resources to splurge after dealing away Rafael Devers’ remaining $252 million.
Ortiz knows pitching helps teams win, but he is indifferent to how the team attempts to bolster the roster.
“I don’t have something special in my mind right now,” Ortiz told RG. “A good buyer is always good. I think another pitcher, but who knows.”
Boston will certainly have some tough decisions to make as the trade deadline nears that will alter the state of the franchise beyond the remainder of this year.
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