Red Sox have clear direction despite trade deadline uncertainty

There was a point in the season when the Boston Red Sox had a clear direction with their year. They were going to sell.

They sat at 32-33 and looked to be a fringe .500 team. They had almost no chance of catching the Yankees or the Orioles in the AL East, which left them in a tough spot in the American League Wild Card race. They had players like Kenley Jansen, Tyler O'Neill and Nick Pivetta who were beginning to gain traction as potential trade pieces for Boston. Alex Cora was looking like he was on the hot seat yet again.

But this is why you don't make trade deadline decisions a month or two in advance.

Because the Red Sox are now 49-40 and FanGraphs gives them a 48.4 percent chance to make the playoffs. They hold control of the third wild card spot and are just 4.5 games behind their rival New York Yankees.

Despite this comeback, the belief around the league is still that Boston doesn't know their trade deadline direction yet.

Red Sox need to be buyers ahead of trade deadline despite uncertainty

As reported by Buster Olney of ESPN, the Red Sox are "undecided” about buying or selling.

If Boston decided to sell, given the recent resurgence from their team, the city may go up in flames.

Boston fans love their sports and they love winning almost as much as they love to breathe. It's in their DNA. For the Red Sox to come back from such a mediocre season, win six of their last seven and head towards the All-Star break with momentum, it would be crazy to imagine them selling.

In fact, even though the reports are that they don't know just yet, it should be expected that they buy. And buy big, especially on pitching to help bolster their bullpen and fill a hole in their starting rotation. They could also use help up the middle in the infield.

While they're in a dominant division, led by the two powerhouse organizations in the Bronx and in Baltimore, the Red Sox have the ability to compete with and beat these two teams. They're currently in the playoffs at this point in time and with another solid month, they could surpass the Yankees.

Expect to see Boston decide to buy this month.