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3 reasons the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were quiet at the trade deadline

By Scott Roche |
May 3, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2023 MLB trade deadline has come and gone with plenty of winners and losers. Two teams that a lot will consider losers are the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees … but are they really losers?

Boston GM Chaim Bloom and New York GM Brian Cashman both were quiet at the deadline, which is a rarity. Usually, the two American League East rivals are bidding against each other for some of the top talent available. That was not the case this season.

The Red Sox and Yankees are usually the two teams at the top of the division standings, but that’s not the case in 2023 as they are bringing up the rear looking up at the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays. All three of those teams are holding one of the six AL postseason spots and all three improved at the deadline.

There is a very real possibility that both the Red Sox and Yankees will not make it to October baseball and will be watching the playoffs from home. Bloom and Cashman both must feel the same way after each making one minor addition. Boston acquired minor leaguer Luis Urias from the Milwaukee Brewers and the Yankees acquired relief pitcher Keynan Middleton from the Chicago White Sox. Neither move is going to make a difference for either team.

Both GMs have a lot of questions to answer for their fanbases, but in the bigger, more realistic picture, neither fanbase should be surprised at what each did do and what they didn’t do. Here are three reasons why the Red Sox and Yankees did what they did leading up to 6 p.m. Eastern on August 1.

Apr 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong (11) runs home to score against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong (11) runs home to score against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Other AL contenders who were already better than the Yankees and Red Sox got better

There are several teams in the hunt for the three AL Wild Card berths. Boston is currently 1.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the last spot and the Yankees are 3.5 behind Toronto and the Los Angeles Angels are in between Boston and New York.

Toronto received a scare on Monday night when Bo Bichette left the game after suffering a knee injury running the bases. They can’t afford to lose one of their most consistent bats for any length of time. If there is a silver lining to the timing of the injury, it gave the front office one day to add. They made their second deal in a week with the St. Louis Cardinals when they acquired Paul DeJong for infield depth after getting pitcher Jordan Hicks last week. Both are upgrades for the final two months.

The Rays picked up starting pitcher Aaron Civale from the Cleveland Guardians, the Orioles got Cardinals’ starting pitcher Jack Flaherty and the Angels continued to add after taking Shohei Ohtani off the trade market by getting CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk from the Colorado Rockies. The Houston Astros, who hold the second Wild Card spot in the AL, reacquired pitcher Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, who shipped Max Scherzer over the weekend to the Texas Rangers.

It feels like both Bloom and Cashman stood pat for the most part knowing that adding any big pieces would more than likely not make a difference in the long run.

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

Bloom and Cashman did not want to wave the white flag in 2023

If either team had decided to sell, it wouldn’t have sat well with the fanbases. However, what pieces does either team have to sell?

Boston could have sold somewhat high on pitcher James Paxton and outfielder Alex Verdugo. However, moving either player would have shipped out an impact player on the roster. The Los Angeles Dodgers were reported to have interest in Paxton after Eduardo Rodriguez nixed a trade there from the Detroit Tigers.

It was reported earlier that Bloom was listening on Verdugo, but despite his struggles, he is a key piece to the outfield and lineup that the Red Sox would have missed. Now, the Red Sox are going to use the “we’re making additions in August with injured players coming back instead of a deal at the deadline,” but that most likely won’t be good enough. Chris Sale, Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck will be good additions, but just how much can manager Alex Cora trust they will stay healthy?

Cashman could have moved on from players that are going to be free agents this winter, but he held onto Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, and Wandy Peralta to name a few. In the big picture, what pieces do the Yankees have that any team would want? Unless a team is desperate, they are not going to part ways with a top prospect to New York.

Jun 27, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) smiles before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 27, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) smiles before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

Red Sox and Yankees are just not good enough to win in 2023

Let’s be honest, neither team is good enough to compete with the top teams in the AL. All six teams currently in a playoff position are all better than the Red Sox and Yankees and who are they going to pass in the standings?

Neither team is going to catch Tampa Bay or Houston, never mind division leaders Baltimore and Texas. It’s going to come down to whether or not they can catch the Blue Jays and that appears unlikely. Boston is 7-0 against them this season and has a three-game series at Fenway coming up this weekend, but even another sweep, can anyone trust them when they play down to their opponent’s level?

New York’s offense is not good enough to win the regular season, never mind the postseason. They showed their true colors when Aaron Judge missed nearly two months with a toe injury as they went from near the top of the AL East to the basement. Their pitching has been inconsistent and their defense has not been that good either and manager Aaron Boone has made some questionable decisions during the season.

If there is one thing that both the Red Sox and Yankees have proven this season is that, despite being just a few games back for a playoff berth, they are not built for October baseball and their GMs seem to feel the same way. Boston and New York usually are trying to get the top talent at the deadline, but this year, they stood mostly pat, and in reality, neither fanbase should be upset or surprised. They are not good enough to compete with the teams ahead of them in the regular season, never mind the postseason.

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