The Red Sox Are Dead, Long Live the Red Sox: Reflections on a Trade Deadline
On Thursday, July 28, the news came down that Andrew Benintendi, late of the Kansas City Royals, had been traded to the New York Yankees. In 2018, when my family really began paying attention to the Red Sox, Benintendi, then the Sox’s left fielder, was our favorite player. Even on the 2018 Sox, a team brimming with talent that went to the World Series and won, Benny stuck out: he could field, he could hit (16 HR, 87 RBI, .290 BA), and he was a youthful, good-looking guy. The Sox had J.D. Martinez, Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Joe Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel. But Benny was our guy.
The 2019 Sox were… fine, Benny included—he hit 13 HR, 68 RBI, .266 BA in 72 games — but the magic just wasn’t there. Nevertheless, one Sunday night in August, I planned an outing for me, my father, and son to see our first game together. It’d be a late night for my son and I knew it, but I really, really wanted him to see a game at Fenway.
It wasn’t to be. That afternoon, he tumbled off a trampoline in his cousins’ backyard and broke his arm. We didn’t make the game, and I couldn’t resell the tickets. But something magical happened. That night, I tweeted the story of my son’s accident to the Red Sox along with a photo of him looking morose at the hospital, his arm in a sling. I told them how sad he was to be missing his first major league game, and how much he‘d been looking forward to seeing his favorite player, Andrew Benintendi, in action. Within moments, a tweet came back from the Sox, asking me to DM them our address.
A week later, a package arrived. In it was a Chia Pet that resembled Sox ace reliever Kimbrel, a pair of socks (red, of course), and, best of all, a baseball, signed by none other than Andrew Benintendi.
I have yet to see better customer service than that.
And then the 2020 fake season came along. Benny only played in 13 games, and that was it. As of 2021, he was in Kansas City. We were sad to see him go, but a funny thing happened: Benny didn’t fade as we thought he might. This summer, he was in the All-Star Game. The picture above, featuring some of the ’18 Sox back together at Dodger Stadium, warmed our hearts. It was sweet, seeing them all together like that.
Less than two weeks later, Benny was a Yankee.
Every year, MLB imposes a trade deadline in the middle of the season. It’s usually at the end of July, but this year, due to the player’s strike, the deadline is Tuesday, August 2. As I write, it’s Sunday, July 31 and speculation is rampant in terms of who the Sox might trade. Such is the state of the team right now that trading, or selling, seems inevitable. As of today, the Sox are 51–52, a game under .500, 3.5 games away from a Wild Card slot. They won today (with eight doubles, no less), but lost their series against the Brewers, and are now headed to Houston. Having started July in 2nd place in the AL East, they’re now in last, nineteen games behind the Yankees and a half game behind the once-pitiful, now-resurgent Orioles. A Wild Card slot, which seemed like a sure thing at the beginning of the month, grows fainter each day. There are so many injured players at the moment, including Devers, Sale, Trevor Story, Kiké Hernández, Josh Taylor, Matt Strahm, James Paxton (who we have yet to see this season), Tyler Danish, Matt Barnes, Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill, the team looks more like AAA Worcester than the Boston Red Sox. Reliable starters like Nate Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta have been falling apart. Despite their doubles today, Martinez and Jackie Bradley Jr. haven’t been producing at the plate, leaving Christian Vasquez and Alex Verdugo to carry the weight, along with Bogaerts, who’s hitting .316 now with an OPS of .851.
I don’t like to lose guys, and I’m sure Chaim Bloom, the team’s Chief Baseball Officer, doesn’t enjoy it either. But Bloom’s a pragmatist, and recent statements lead me to believe he’s not making decisions to please fans or staff; he’s making them to build what (he feels is) a better club. So here are my thoughts as we approach the deadline. I’ll revisit this article afterwards to see where I went astray, as I’m sure I will. (Bear in mind: the Sox are not going to lose all of these guys. This is just my thoughts on the likelihood of losing individual players.)
Nathan Eovaldi (17)
Position: Starting pitcher
2022 performance thus far: Far below expectation, even taking injuries into account. Eovaldi has had some rough starts this year, including the May 17 game vs, Houston in which he gave up five home runs in one inning, and he started the game the Sox lose 28–5 to the Blue Jays. Thus far, he’s 4–3 with a 4.43 ERA.
Chances of losing him at deadline: High, if only because he’s mid-career for a pitcher, and players have been known to recalibrate their reputations once in a new city. I think Eovaldi would net the Sox a decent player or two.
Nick Pivetta (37)
Position: Starting pitcher
2022 performance thus far: Underwhelming. 8–8 thus far with a 4.47 ERA. Had a decent run in May-June but seems to be running out of gas.
Chances of losing him at deadline: High. Pivetta’s 29 so he’s got a good ten years left in him, at least, and I think he could perk up elsewhere.
Bobby Dalbec (29)
Position: First base
2022 performance thus far: Maddeningly inconsistent. Has a tendency to choke in high-pressure situations. After a strong 2021, he seemed primed for a breakout year; 2022 has been middling at best, frustrating at worst.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Good. And to be honest, I wouldn’t mind. The one thing the Sox need more than anything is a decent first baseman. Without Devers, they’ve been playing Bobby at third and putting Franchy Cordero at first, which has been a disaster of titanic proportions.
Kiké Hernández
Position: Center field
2022 performance thus far: Weak, when he’s even played. This guy has been on the IL so long, I honestly can’t recall the last time I saw him in uniform.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Good. Despite his phenomenal performance in the postseason last year, Kiké’s bat cooled off in the first portion of the season. He’s a great fielder, though, and he can’t stay on the IL forever. I just don’t see the down side to dealing him.
Alex Verdugo (99)
Position: Left field
2022 performance thus far: Good. Can be counted on in the outfield and, most of the time, at the plate.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Possible. Another one I’d hate to see go, but if the Sox have to sell, he’s a player who could fetch a decent asking price.
Christian Vasquez (7)
Position: Catcher
2022 performance thus far: Much better than expected. Vasky’s always been a solid hitter who comes through in clutch situations.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Unclear. Losing him would put the Sox in a difficult spot, as they don’t have another catcher that can hit. Then, desperate times. Note: I will be extremely upset if we lose Vasky.
J.D. Martinez (28)
Position: Designated hitter
2022 performance thus far: Weak. For a guy who used to average between 35–45 home runs a season, Martinez’s performance is way, way down, and before today’s doubles, he was in an 0–24 slump.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Unclear. I just don’t know what we’d get for him at this point. Maybe some decent prospects? He can’t play a position, and we have other guys we can slot into the DH role. I feel bad saying this, but the Sox could bench him for the rest of the season with little to no effect.
Xander Bogaerts (2)
Position: Shortstop
2022 performance thus far: Pretty good. Not the X-Man of yore, but decent (see also: Thursday night 3-run Johnson).
Chances of losing him at deadline: Low. Xander is one of the exceptions to Bloom’s statement. Yes, he’s a a fan favorite, but he’s also a free agent after this season, and I think if we’re going to lose him, it’ll be in October.
Jackie Bradley Jr. (19)
Position: Right field
2022 performance thus far: Strong in the outfield, as usual, weak at the plate, despite today’s two doubles.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Unlikely. Jackie is, as my brother-in-law says, one of those guys who wins you games, not because of the damage he does at the plate, but because he runs down and catches potential home runs and extra base hits. Also, we did just get him back after a season with the Brewers, so it seems silly to trade him again.
Kutter Crawford (50)
Position: Starting pitcher
2022 performance thus far: Shockingly consistent. His stats, 2–3 and a 4.15 ERA, do not tell the story. One of the few Worcester call-ups to meet the big league challenge.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Unlikely. With Sale on in the IL, and Pivetta and Eovaldi underperforming, we need the 26 year-old Crawford’s arm now more than ever. Should not be on the block.
John Schreiber (46)
Position: Relief pitcher
2022 performance thus far: Remarkably consistent.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Unlikely. As with Devers, I think Bloom knows when he has a good thing on his hands, and though I think Schreiber could fetch a high asking price, the bullpen is weak as it stands. Losing Schreiber would be a huge loss.
Garrett Whitlock (72) and Tanner Houck (89)
Position: Relief pitchers
2022 performance thus far: Good. Stronger in relief than as starters, but for the most part, good additions to the squad.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Unlikely, for the same reasons as Schreiber. You really want to hobble the bullpen more than it is? Only reason I can see to ditch Houck is he won’t get vaccinated, so he can’t play in Toronto (also I think this makes him kind of a dick).
Rafael Devers (2)
Position: 3rd base
2022 performance thus far: Exceptional.
Chances of losing him at deadline: Impossible. The Red Sox could get a mint for him, but he’s their only source of power at the moment, and I think fans would riot on Lansdowne Street were he to go.
Guys I don’t want to speculate about right now: Josh Taylor (RP), Michael Wacha (SP), Rich Hill (SP), and Christian Arroyo (OF). I don’t think these guys, the first three of whom are on the IL right now, are going anywhere, but I could be wrong. Wacha’s in his first season with the Sox. Hill is 42. When Taylor’s good, he’s great, but who knows when he’ll be back. Arroyo’s the wild card, our fielding Swiss Army Knife who was a monster at the plate this weekend but has been inconsistent in the past.
Would love to see go: Ryan Brasier (RP), Jake Diekman (RP), Hirokazu Sawamura (RP), Matt Barnes (RP), and Franchy Cordero (1B). Goodbye, and thanks for everything (nothing).
Send back to Worcester for more baking: Jarren Duran (CF), Josh Winckowski (SP), Kaleb Ort (RP), Brayan Bello (SP), and Jeter Downs (2B). Maybe later.
Indifferent: Austin Davis (R/SP), Jaylin Davis (RF), Yolmer Sanchez (2B), Tyler Danish (RP), Matt Strahm (RP), and Kevin Plawecki (Catcher).
And here we are. It’s Tuesday night and the team looks a little different. I’m not gonna lie to you: it doesn’t look different enough to make me think we’re going all the way, but we’ve solved a couple issues.
So what happened?
- Christian Vasquez was traded to the Astros for a couple of prospects. The fact that it happened in the most awkward way possible — he apparently learned as he was taking batting practice with the Sox on the field at Minute Maid Park, before game one of the series with the Astros — didn’t make things any easier. Vasquez wasn’t in the Astros’ lineup last night, and he’s not in tonight. The Astros already have a starting catcher, Martin Maldonado, so I guess it’s up to manager Dusty Baker to figure out how Vasky fits into the lineup.
- The Red Sox dealt Jake Diekman to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Reese McGuire. Obviously, I’m ecstatic to see Diekman go, given what a liability he’s become, and I guess McGuire will fill Vasquez’s role behind the plate. Of course, the internet immediately went to town on McGuire, pointing out the fact that he was fined for indecent exposure while with the Blue Jays in August 2020, prompting a fresh round of our favorite game, “Blame Chaim.”
- The Red Sox acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Reds for player to be named later. He comes with own scandal involving a stabbing in a strip club.
- Finally, in one of the weirder moves, first baseman Eric Hosmer was dealt to Boston from the Padres. Hosmer was initially headed to Washington, but invoked something called a “no-trade clause,” rejecting a deal from the Padres to go to the Nationals, part of the eight-player bonanza that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego.
So that’s where things stand. J.D., Nasty Nate, X-Man, Bobby D., JBJ*, Dugie, and Nick Pivetta are still with the Red Sox. We can take a breath knowing these guys are with us at least for the next two months, for better or for worse.
And whaddaya know, the Sox beat the Astros in game one last night, on the strength of a 2-run homer and 3 RBIs from, of all players, Jarren Duran, who I was sure would be gone by today, at least sent back to Worcester. But nope, here he is leading off once again.
Needless to say, we’re upset about Vasky in this household. There’s a certain wistful quality to seeing a team you cherished, namely the 2018 Sox, go their separate ways. To lose another, after Betts and Benintendi, it’s sad. You want your team to stay together forever, and if someone has to go, you want it to be because they retire, having spent their entire career in Boston. But that’s not how baseball works anymore. The days of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, and David Ortiz staying for years in one place — it just doesn’t really happen anymore. Bogaerts and J.D. will be free agents at the end of this season, just as Vasky would have. There’s no guarantee they’ll be with us next spring, and that’s just business, the way things are nowadays.
If anything, this year’s trade deadline showed that you really don’t know. Teams doing worse than the Sox, the Nationals and the Reds, were sellers, as we knew they would be. With the Sox three games out of the wild card race, maybe Bloom decided we have a shot. I don’t agree, but it’s not my call. Whether these acquisitions put us in a better spot will become clear within a few weeks. We didn’t get a big guy, like last year, when we picked up Kyle Schwarber, who helped the team reach the playoffs. We got guys who fill holes defensively, and that’s not nothing. Is it enough? I doubt it, but for now, the team and fans are happy. Vasky-less, but breathing a sigh of relief.
*Editor’s note: Jackie Bradley Jr. was released from the Red Sox on Thursday, August 4, one day after this article went live.
