Boston Red Sox are not as bad as their record suggests

2 of 3

J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Big trades involve big names, and the Boston Red Sox need to cling to their big names.

However despondent the Boston Red Sox look, their staff of big hitters and all-star pitching forms a real contender.

No, this contending squad is not the 2020 active roster. This is the 2021 active roster.

More from Call to the Pen

This is the roster that has Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Colin McHugh joining Nathan Eovaldi and Martín Pérez in the starting rotation. This is the roster with a fit Rafael Devers and a J.D. Martinez that no longer relies on viewing replays of his at-bats between innings.

Yes, late Friday night, Boston dealt relief pitchers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree to the Philadelphia Phillies for relief pitcher Nick Pivetta and minor league starting pitcher Connor Seabold, but, as this transaction is absent of the aforementioned “big names,” this is not a big trade.

Who are Boston’s big names?

The big names are the players on the team who could easily be stars.

Martinez is a perennial candidate for the American League’s most valuable player. Before he was forced to deal with baseball’s new rules that take video out of the clubhouse, he drove 100+ runs home, batted above .300, and knocked over 35 baseballs into the outfield seats.

Sure, that makes him a valuable trade target, especially with Mitch Moreland and Michael Chavis playing behind him, but his leadership is too important for him to be whisked away in the middle of an already tumultuous season.

Xander Bogaerts could easily wear the captain’s “C” over his heart for his devotion to the Fenway Faithful. His glove is indispensable and, like Martinez, he makes the top 15 in M.V.P. voting on a regular basis.

His hitting has definitely faltered in 2020, cutting .027 off of his 2019 batting average .309 to his 2020 .282 batting average. This makes him a more available trade target for teams in need of a good shortstop down the home stretch of the season, but, like Martinez, the two-time all-star holds too important of a leadership role to be dealt away midseason.

The Red Sox could be 0-75 and Xander Bogaerts would still show up every day and hit tanks. https://t.co/sApfhOv3Wy
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) August 16, 2020

If the Red Sox expected both these players to play even worse in 2021, then there would be some logic to consigning them to another club sooner rather than later to achieve the best value, but with crowds and a full season possibly returning in 2021, their energy and high-quality play are sure to return, as well.

Rafael Devers stayed hot at the plate Friday against the Orioles.

For more on the third baseman, check out "Red Sox Final." https://t.co/q5g7TkIu1G pic.twitter.com/ee3yrvGCLk
— NESN (@NESN) August 22, 2020

This season, it might just be bad luck plaguing the Boston Red Sox.

Rafael Devers went the same route as a young Jackie Robinson this past offseason and his adorable plush frame grew a little chubbier. Prior to Opening Day in July, manager Ron Roenicke admitted that Devers, “may have gained a little [weight].”

This can happen to young stars fairly easily—they start their career on fire and think they do not need to work as hard as other players to play well, so they slack off during the offseason and put a little more on their plate because they can. When they come back softer and play worse, they get a nice fitness lesson and return for the following season with a healthier diet and a more dedicated exercise ethic.

As we know from Devers’ 54 double, 32 home run, 115 R.B.I., and .311 batting average spread from 2019, when fit, the kid can hit. Do not let the sour grapes of his 2020 season deter from his value because if Boston does not see it, we can be sure that another team can, and they will lowball the Red Sox in trade talks.

Andrew Benintendi is a quiet star, playing in the shadow of Fenway Park’s notorious Green Monster. His 2020 statistics are a disgusting abomination under the good name of “Baseball,” but he has acknowledged his failures and placed blame on the peculiar schedule (not to mention his time on the injured list).

His clutch defense in the 2018 playoffs and reliable mid-to-high .200s hitting show that he is valuable in a regular season. Right now, his abysmal stats would award the Sox a lousy return in any trade anyhow.

Related Story. Nick Pivetta could be a weapon for Red Sox. light

Alex Verdugo is the right fit for Boston. His hit streak has reached 11 and everybody in New England, whether they are his teammates, his fans, or the journalists who cover him, loves

him and his energy.

Despite the circumstances surrounding the season, “Alex the Executioner” has delivered in every opportunity. He has hit monster bombs and reached for home run-robbing catches. Any talk of forcing the big name of “Dugie” out of Boston has certainly been silenced.

(Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

And now, a few more pieces that just need to stay with the Boston Red Sox.

Jackie Bradley Jr. is an unrestricted free agent after 2020. He has never finished a season with a batting average above .267, his next best year a miserable .249. He rarely steals any bases and he does not clear the bases very often, either.

His best quality, his glove, however, does not disappoint. Major League Baseball is routinely treated to a leaping web gem from the 30-year old outfielder.