The Red Sox are better than this
The 2023 Red Sox should not be a "mid" team. Our expectations should be higher, and they should be better. It's time for the front office to be bold and revive this team
The midpoint in the season is just a couple of days away, and the Red Sox are 40-39. Not good, not bad, average. As rough as things have looked lately, the Red Sox sit just three games out of a Wild Card spot, which is far from out of it.
Before the season, if I told you the Sox would be a game above .500 after 79 games, you probably wouldn't have been surprised or even disappointed, considering the team came into the season with no certain ace or #2 caliber starter. A lot of people have the mindset that this team as a whole is what they thought they'd be.
But that mindset is disrespectful to the 2023 Red Sox that we've seen, and it's disrespectful to yourself if you put the time in to watch this team play games.
The Red Sox were supposed to be average because they had a respectable lineup one-through-nine, and a pitching staff full of pitchers who people expected to have at least a reasonable chance to give you a good start every time they come out there.
In actuality, the Red Sox have had two starters in James Paxton and Brayan Bello go out there every fifth day and give you a frontline-caliber performance every single time. Chris Sale did the same before his injury. Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, and Kutter Crawford keep the team in every game they pitch, and often go above and beyond that.
The question marks in the offense have largely worked out in the Red Sox favor. The mystery free agent Masataka Yoshida has proven to be an all-star caliber hitter. Since April 20th, he's hit .332 with a .910 OPS.
Alex Verdugo is having a career year. Justin Turner has been terrific, particularly in June, where he’s posted a .924 OPS. Jarren Duran is having a breakout season. Hell, even Rob Refsnyder is 6th in all of baseball in on-base percentage (minimum 100 plate appearances).
Considering these factors, and seeing the Red Sox put together multiple extended stretches of winning ball both at the plate and on the mound, it blows my mind that people are willing to just accept this team as "mid." The Red Sox team that was put on the field in 2023 should be so much better than “mid,” and simply comparing their record to your pre-season expectations lacks context.
It ignores the stellar brand of baseball the Red Sox have played for multiple extended periods of time against good competition, and it ignores the massive potential this team should have, when healthy, with their starting pitchers performing the way they have.
Yet, they sit here today at 40-39. With the roster they have, with the starting pitching they have gotten for quite some time now, a 40-39 record shouldn’t be accepted by the fans. And it’s only fair to point the finger at the players.
The players on the field should be able to beat teams they’ve lost series’ to like the Pirates, Cardinals, Guardians, Rockies, and White Sox. The players should be better than the worst defense in baseball, with a dreadful -21 outs above average. The offense is above these horrific lengthy slumps. We’ve seen them be great as a unit for extended periods of time. There really is no excuse, and blaming the front office, manager, or coaching staff is simply a cop-out.
Where do they go from here?
While the team’s shortcomings to this point are on the players, the front office will surely be at fault if they don’t take action, and take it soon, to give the Red Sox the jolt they need to make a run at a postseason berth.
Now, you might be thinking that this Red Sox team doesn't have a chance at winning a championship, so they should just sell. Trade Paxton, Duvall, Kiké Hernandez, etc.
But that isn't the road they should take. At least not yet. This team is three games out of the third Wild Card spot, and 3.5 out of the second Wild Card spot. And as was proved by the 87-75 Phillies of 2022 who made a run to the World Series, all you need to do in Major League Baseball is get into the postseason and you have a chance to win it all.
The teams ahead of the Red Sox for the two final Wild Card spots include the Angels who are flawed but going for it, the Astros who are nowhere near as good as they were last year and are without Yordan Alvarez for a while, the Blue Jays who seem to have the most talent every year but never quite put it together, and the Yankees who are quite simply a bad team without Aaron Judge, and he won't be back on the field until August at the earliest.
Not to mention that if the Red Sox do end up securing that third Wild Card spot, they'll get to face the winner of the AL Central, which could be the worst team in baseball to make the postseason. The Sox would have a great chance to advance.
But nobody seems to want to take control and secure those two spots, and it's left the door wide open for Boston to make a run and put themselves in the playoff picture again.
But that's just not going to be possible running openers out there every fifth day and hoping the bullpen can give you a chance to win. It's not going to be possible throwing Kiké Hernandez, Christian Arroyo, Pablo Reyes, and David Hamilton out there to cover the middle infield positions every day. And it's going to be tough with Caleb Hamilton, who has hit .180 in 100 AAA at-bats, catching once or twice a week.
The Red Sox are only three games out of a playoff spot, but the season is going to get away from them if they wait around for guys who are nowhere close to returning to come back. Trevor Story may not return until August. Chris Sale until September. Tanner Houck until after the All-Star Break. Reese McGuire around that same timeline. John Schreiber isn't anywhere close. Adalberto Mondesi may not play an inning for the Red Sox this season.
Having a "season starts when Trevor Story returns" mindset is gonna end the season before it even "starts."
That's why it's time for Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox front office to be aggressive. The time is now to bring in a reinforcement or two. Bring in a starting pitcher who can hold it down for a month until Tanner Houck returns. Or bring in a shortstop who can at least defend the position and carry his weight at the plate.
It won't be easy, only 4-6 teams look like obvious sellers as of today. But if the Red Sox don't want the season to slip away, they are going to have to get uncomfortable. They are going to have to be bold and make the trade that sends a message to the players that the front office believes in them.
It doesn't need to be the best player on the market. But a major league addition to plug an obvious hole would go a long way in a clubhouse that was unhappy with the club's lack of action in early July last season.
Rich Hill from the Pirates. Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, or Mike Clevinger from the White Sox. Matthew Boyd from the Tigers. Jordan Montgomery or Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals.
Paul DeJong from the Cardinals. Amed Rosario from the Guardians. Tim Anderson or Elvis Andrus from the White Sox.
The options are out there. If the Red Sox act fast and make a move, they'll give themselves a month to evaluate where they stand with their added help. If their action lights a spark, and they find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot come the end of July, they can consider other areas of need and make further additions or tweaks. Not to mention it would have to feel good sitting in a playoff spot as the calendar flips to August knowing Trevor Story, Tanner Houck, and Reese McGuire will all have either just returned or be returning very soon.
However, if the team continues to struggle through July and finds themselves 5+ games out of a Wild Card spot, there's still time to sell. Just because the Red Sox trade for player X on June 30th doesn't mean they can't flip him on July 30th. It also doesn't preclude them from dealing guys like James Paxton or Adam Duvall if the season goes south.
It's going to be an uphill battle for the Red Sox. The Marlins, Blue Jays, and Rangers are three tough opponents coming up. Bringing in help won't guarantee they win the games they have to win to make a run. All it does is give them a fighting chance to save a season that fans can surely feel slipping.
If they’re not going to take action fast, they might as well start selling off their expiring players now, because they'll end up doing it at the end of July anyway.
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Solid evaluation