The major league All-Star break is a time to reflect on the unofficial first half of the season, and to figure out what needs to be done over the 11 weeks remaining.

Much like last year, we aren’t quite sure what the Boston Red Sox are.

We know where they stand with 91 games played. The Red Sox surged into the break with a five-game winning streak and eight wins in the last nine games to sit at 48-43.

But what are they really? Are they the team that has gone 12-1 against the Yankees and Blue Jays? Or are they the team that has gone 1-7 against the Rays and lost 12 of 15 at home against National League teams?

When the Red Sox season resumes Friday at Wrigley Field in Chicago there will be just 15 games remaining before the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline. That’s not a lot of time to figure out if this is a team worth further investment or if the roster should be disassembled in an effort to make next year’s team more competitive.

As Bill Parcells liked to say, “you are what your record says you are.” And the Sox are a last-place team. Yet they are just two games out of a wild-card spot.

If you squint your eyes, you can see what the future of this franchise could look like. Jarren Duran has developed into a player that electrifies the crowd with his bat and his speed. Rafael Devers, the face of the franchise, is only 26. Connor Wong has become an everyday catcher. Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo could man the corner outfield positions for years while Triston Casas continues to develop at first base. Trevor Story could be added to that mix in August. Brayan Bello’s starts have become must-see events. He has the swagger of a young Pedro Martinez and is only 24.

“I think we’re a really good team,” Duran said on Saturday after a 3-for-5 day with three runs and three RBI, “and I think we’re just keeping our heads down and we’re just working right now. We don’t need anybody to put the spotlight on us. We’ll just be keeping our heads down working and then by the end guys will be like, ‘Wow I didn’t even see that happening.’”

For that to happen, the Red Sox will need more pitching. James Paxton and Kutter Crawford join Bello as a three-man rotation. Manager Alex Cora had to use his bullpen to navigate through two of the three games against the A’s over the weekend. That’s not sustainable.

Can Chaim Bloom add pitching for the second half? He has trade chips in Kiké Hernández, Adam Duvall and reliever Nick Pivetta. He could move all three without blowing up any of this team’s chances.

Or he could go deeper. Paxton was the American League Pitcher of the Month in June and is owed fewer than $2 million for the remainder of the season. Any budget-minded team in the hunt would love to get a pitcher like Paxton and could offer up an enticing package to the Red Sox.

That would lead to more bullpen days. And an inevitable slide toward the bottom of the league.

There have been reports linking Verdugo to other teams. With a year and a half remaining he could be the type of offensive spark a contender is looking for. If a team was willing to swap pitching for offense there could be a match. But that would be another blow to Boston’s hopes of doing something this season.

It’s tough to thread the needle, to try to build for the future while maximizing your current potential. Bloom tried to do it last year and failed. The Sox finished last for the second time in three years and still didn’t get under the competitive balance tax threshold.

And now the Red Sox are back where they were a year ago. With embers of hope glowing, and the clock to the trade deadline counting down quickly.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. He is a graduate of Lewiston High School.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Red Sox complete sweep of lowly A’s with comeback win, 4-3

Next »

Kenley Jansen is the Red Sox’s lone All-Star, but Chris Martin has been better