Boston Red Sox: This is not a team worth investing in
The Boston Red Sox are currently tied for first place. Any team in their position should be invested in. But not this team.
The Boston Red Sox are tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East and are almost guaranteed to be contenders come September. With that position, the Red Sox should be a guaranteed buyer at the upcoming MLB trade deadline. But because of multiple factors, the Red Sox must refrain from blockbuster deals.
On the popular television show Shark Tank, hopeful entrepreneurs bring their ideas to the table of five titans of industry. The aspiring entrepreneurs do whatever they can to get an investment from at least one of the “sharks.”
Such a process also occurs in Major League Baseball.
Right at this time of the season, every team must make an important decision: to buy or sell. For some, it’s incredibly easy. At 53-26, the Houston Astros will buy. At 30-51, the San Francisco Giants will sell.
For a team in a position like the Red Sox, it should be an obvious call: buy. Go for it. Do whatever it takes.
The Red Sox sit at 43-35 and tied for first place. They’re in competition with the Yankees and the pesky Tampa Bay Rays. They have multiple holes and are nowhere near perfect. Starting pitching is a need, late-inning bullpen arms are a must and there’s a glaring, fat hole left at third base by Pablo Sandoval.
Rumors are circulating all throughout the baseball world as to what the Sox should do. Some believe that since they’re the Boston Red Sox, they must go out and make a blockbuster move to compete.
Starting pitchers such as Sonny Gray, Johnny Cueto and Jose Quintana are rumored targets. Third basemen such as Todd Frazier and Mike Moustakas are also possible replacements at third. In the bullpen, the team could use a David Robertson or an extra set-up man.
But against popular opinion, the best trade this team can make is no trade at all. When you consider the other factors, this team is not worth investing in.
The reason for the Red Sox having holes in their team is because of themselves. They traded their young, power-hitting third baseman in Travis Shaw to the Milwaukee Brewers for a set-up guy in Tyler Thornburg. With Shaw departed, it left a route for Sandoval to prove himself in Boston. It was his second chance.
Well, that second chance hasn’t gone so well. Sandoval is back in the minors and is hitting .212 at the major league level. With the big club, his defense was horrendous. To add insult to injury, the piece acquired in the Shaw trade, Thornburg, has yet to throw a pitch for the Red Sox this year due to season-ending surgery.
That explains the hole at third base and the lack of a set-up man. The Red Sox’s bullpen has the third best ERA in baseball at 2.94, so the bullpen isn’t that big of an issue. However, they could still use some help on that front. Their bullpen success just doesn’t seem sustainable and there’s no evidence of longevity.
With regard to their starting pitchers, the Red Sox have the arms. The big three of Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello should be enough alongside a supporting cast of Drew Pomeranz, Doug Fister and Eduardo Rodriguez. They don’t need anyone else to come in.
The Red Sox need their own guys to get it together.
Last night, Porcello fell to 4-10 with a 5.06 ERA. His ERA in the first inning is at 6.88. He’s the reigning AL Cy Young award winner. At some point, one has to believe that he’s going to begin to pitch better. Last year was most certainly lightning in a bottle, but he’s definitely much better than what he has been.
Right?
Price has been a mess thus far this season. From fights with the media to bad performance on the field, he’s become one of the most unlikable characters on this Red Sox team. Someday, when free agents consider Boston as a possible destination, they will look to the way in which Price was eaten alive by the pressures of living up to the largest contract for a pitcher and media presence of playing in Beantown as evidence of the monstrosity that is the Boston sports market.
Trust me, it’s not a myth.
Rodriguez is injured, Pomeranz is just starting to get his groove back but still can’t seem to reach the seventh inning, and Fister is brand new. There’s no need for them to go out and get starting pitching help when they already have enough.
A lot of teams have holes such as these and to fill them, they have the assets to trade for them. The problem that the Red Sox will begin to consistently encounter is that they don’t have those assets.
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Through trades, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has depleted the farm system. The Red Sox’s farm system has fallen from the cream of the crop to rank 21st according to Baseball Prospectus. There are not many pieces to trade from the farm system and if any more get traded, the Red Sox will not have a future.
And to compete in today’s game, every team must have a future.
Another reason not to invest in this team is due to underperformance. Porcello and Price have already been mentioned, but one important name that hasn’t yet been mentioned is Hanley Ramirez.
Ramirez’s power numbers have been way down, as he only has 10 home runs. He also hasn’t been able to hit lefties this year. Ramirez is batting .143 against southpaws this season, after batting .346 against them in 2016. In the field, Ramirez has only been at first base twice this year and it seems as if there’s always an excuse as to why he can’t play the position.
He’s a dog. Having David Ortiz pushing him last season helped, but without him, Hanley’s being Hanley.
This team isn’t as talented as their placement in the standings shows and the underperformances are dreadful.
Next: Another team shouldn't throw assets at an overrated pitcher
This Red Sox bunch has so much potential. If starters like Porcello and Price can regain their previous forms, and if the bullpen can stay consistent alongside the offense gaining consistency, then this team should make it to October. Unfortunately, those are all ifs.
But if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that this Red Sox team is not worth investing in.