The Boston Red Sox added just two players at the trade deadline, and they didn’t do as much as some insiders expected.
While Boston didn’t have any glaring holes besides adding another front-end starting pitcher, the organization could’ve bolstered the team more. Tyler Kepner from The Athletic is now slamming the Red Sox for a lackluster trade deadline.
“Once upon a time, the Boston Red Sox were interesting,” Kepner wrote. “Sometimes they won the World Series. Sometimes their egos got in the way of that. But they always acted boldly and decisively. They swung big. … These are not the old days. These are the boring days — not the players or the games, but the organizational ethos. The Red Sox seem to believe they can build a winner without taking risks, a trait they exhibit every offseason and trade deadline.”
Nothing against Dustin May or Steven Matz, but they’re merely depth pieces. Both of them are on expiring contracts and will likely leave in free agency after the season. Those are the only two players the Red Sox brought in over the days that led up to and included Thursday’s deadline.
Now, the Red Sox have dug their grave and have to lay in it. This is the group they believe will get them far in the playoffs. Whether it actually does remains to be seen. Kepner seems to believe this will blow up in Boston’s face.
“Maybe the Red Sox will grow tired of austerity, of one-year contracts and painless trades for fixer-uppers, of waiting for a homegrown core to spark a renaissance,” he wrote. “Or maybe this group makes a deep playoff run, validates the front office’s approach and makes all the critics look foolish.”
If the Red Sox do silence the doubters, don’t be surprised if they continue down this path. If the plan blows up in their face, expect some big changes in the offseason.
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