The Boston Red Sox shocked the MLB world a couple months ago, trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for spare parts and financial flexibility. It was a shocking admission of defeat after the Alex Bregman signing and Devers' subsequent aborted position change fractured his relationship with the front office and the locker room. It also preceded an unexpected surge in the standings.
The Red Sox won 10 straight going into the All-Star break and now sit five games above .500 and just six games behind first-place Toronto in the AL East. There's still work to be done, but Boston has real talent with real upside. If Craig Breslow and the Red Sox brass can pull off a few key upgrades at the deadline, that might push Boston into true contender territory.
And yet, while Boston will scour the market and try to get better, it doesn't sound like Breslow is too eager to rock the boat.
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Red Sox might avoid seismic trade deadline additions despite glaring needs
"At this moment, the Red Sox are not inclined to engage in any large-scale deadline moves," writes ESPN's Jeff Passan. "Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said the team wants to add after trading Devers, and while it would surprise no one if it did, Boston is an organization that deeply values operating efficiently, and a market like this is the epitome of inefficient. Holding now would speak to the Red Sox's comfort with their current roster and the exceptional price to bolster it."
The death of contention is an "efficient" front office. Obviously the Red Sox are in a good position regardless, but this team needs extra star power to really match up with the Dodgers, Cubs, Astros and other MLB heavyweights. Boston's lineup is pretty full, but the rotation and bullpen would both benefit from seismic upgrades.
While the Devers trade did not feel very "efficient" in the moment, it was Boston shedding a weighty long-term contract to better balance the books and remove a locker room distraction. Bregman's arrival came with one of the largest contracts in MLB history ($40 million annually), but it was a short-term deal with opt-outs, so the books will be clean again in a few months with a chance to re-sign him to a more palatable long-term deal.
We are still waiting for Boston to get irresponsible. The Garrett Crochet trade was a big splash, but sometimes winning a World Series requires stacking several big splashes in rapid succession. Even if the risk is high.
Craig Breslow can learn that lesson from Red Sox legend Theo Epstein
Theo Epstein took over the Red Sox GM role in 2002 and was responsible for bringing two World Series titles to Boston after an 86-year drought. He did so through blockbuster trades, adding perennial All-Star Curt Schilling in the 2004 offseason, then trading star SS Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs midway through that same campaign, which brought back SS Orlando Cabrera and 1B Doug Mientkiewicz — two key contributors to their eventual World Series run.
Epstein was unafraid to get bold and think outside the box, even when it meant tinkering with the roster's core. The Devers trade was proof that Breslow can rock the boat, but right now that feels more like a response to locker-room turmoil than a genuine effort to improve the team. If Breslow doesn't capitalize on his new financial flexibility with a couple ambitious trades, it could leave Boston in an all-too-familiar position: not quite good enough.