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.