Could Red Sox hot start revive previously rumored blockbuster trade?
Expectations were tempered for Boston before the year, but a 5-2 start could turn them into early-season buyers
The Boston Red Sox have to be happy with how they've started the season. Losers of two of their first three games, they have since gone on a four-game winning streak to salvage a series tie with the Seattle Mariners and sweep the Oakland A's. They sit just one game behind the Yankees in the AL East, and they've managed to do this without yet playing a game at Fenway Park.
For a team that was universally projected this spring to finish last in the division, Boston's encouraging first week of play may force ownership to consider being more aggressive in improving the club, especially after star third baseman Rafael Devers blasted the front office for its failure to be more proactive this offseason.
The Red Sox have made it known that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is working under a strict budget, an admission that must be infuriating to Red Sox fans that still aren't over trading Mookie Betts four years ago for monetary reasons.
Boston's signing of Tyler O'Neill looks like a smart move, but the team's top free agent pitching acquisition, Lucas Giolito, hurt his elbow in spring training and will now miss the entire season. The Sox also missed out on multiple free agents this offseason due in large part to an unwillingness to spend, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jordan Montgomery, and Teoscar Hernandez.
The Red Sox are operating like a small-market club, despite being one of the most powerful brands and having one of the most loyal fanbases in baseball. That's not going to cut it when the Yankees appear to have gotten their mojo back, the Orioles are great and only continuing to improve, the Rays are one of the most consistent teams in baseball, and the Blue Jays, despite their rough start, are still extremely dangerous, as well.
There's no excuse for the Red Sox to be OK with mediocrity
One path towards season-long contention that the Red Sox could and should explore is dealing with the Miami Marlins. After a Cinderella playoff berth last season, the Marlins are 0-7 to start the year, with every loss coming at home to two teams that aren't exactly expected to be World Series contenders, the Pirates and the Angels. The last time a group of fish have gotten off to this bad a start, Coral and her future offspring got eaten by a barracuda at the beginning of Finding Nemo.
The Marlins' losses could be the Red Sox's gain. Jason Ounpraseuth of NESN speculated that Boston could make a move for a number of Miami's best players, including Jesus Luzardo, Jazz Chisholm, and Luis Arraez. Ounpraseuth even speculated that the Red Sox could take a more long-term approach by making a play for injured Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. The hard-throwing righty is under team control through 2027, and would almost certainly be Boston's Opening Day starter next year if they could find a way to pry him from Miami.
The next few weeks will be pivotal in determining how aggressive the Red Sox get. Can they keep pace in the AL East with their current roster, or was the first week a mirage helped by the fact that a major league team facing the A's is no different than Billy Madison playing dodgeball with a bunch of first-graders? Either way, Boston needs to be ready to add some difference-makers, and the winless Marlins are the perfect trade partner.
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