Those playoff odds are nonsense anyway. The 2011 Red Sox had a 90 percent chance to make the playoffs right up until the day they were eliminated.
But Smilin’ Sam Kennedy went on WEEI on Friday and said the Sox are having trade conversations and “there’s urgency” to improve.
It has been a month since the Red Sox fired Alex Cora and six of his coaches, saying the move was necessary for the team to realize its potential. They have played better since, but certainly aren’t anybody’s idea of a playoff team at 22-29 after a desultory 4-2 loss against the Twins.
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Still, the Sox will try to sell you on the idea that trading for another hitter will make a difference.
That they needed to add significantly to their lineup was evident when last season ended. It was still the case after the Winter Meetings ended in December and when spring training started in February.
They had three-plus months to address an obvious weakness and failed. Trading for Willson Contreras has worked out well, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his quants wildly overvalued Caleb Durbin.
This is a team that has given Mickey Gasper, Andruw Monasterio, and Masataka Yoshida 30 starts at designated hitter over 51 games. Sox DHs have three home runs this season.
The Sox also failed to fill the leadership vacuum left by Alex Bregman’s signing with the Cubs. That situation has worsened with Trevor Story expected to be on the injured list into July.
They needed the urgency Kennedy spoke of the other day in January, not in May. Now the Sox are in the bottom five in the majors in runs, home runs, and OPS. They have scored two or fewer runs in 22 games.
Unless they’re willing to trade a package of top-level prospects to land an All-Star slugger, no trade is going to make enough of a difference.
Astros owner Jim Crane has vowed never to rebuild, so Houston would have to be knocked out to deal designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is signed to a bargain contract through 2028.
Mike Trout seems content to play out his career with the Angels and have his Octobers free to watch his beloved Eagles. But even if that changed, he’s signed through 2030 at $37.1 million a year.
Then there’s this: Red Sox ownership sided with Breslow when they fired Cora. Do they still trust him to make a big trade?
If recent history is a guide, the Sox will trade second-tier prospects for someone like Randal Grichuk, then try to convince the fans they’re committed to winning.
Last year, it was Dustin May and Steven Matz, who didn’t rescue the pitching staff. In 2024, the Sox acquired catcher Danny Jansen, starter James Paxton, and relievers Luis Garcia and Lucas Sims to feign competitiveness. That quartet combined for minus-0.9 bWAR.
Sox fans aren’t fools. They know this roster needs major work before the World Series becomes a realistic goal.
The Sox would be smarter to take advantage of the lack of sellers in the trade market and make Aroldis Chapman, Jarren Duran, and Sonny Gray available.
Chapman is at the height of his value. He’s a lockdown closer with two World Series rings signed to an affordable contract. His 2.26 ERA in 46 career postseason games would have contenders lined up. Every other reliever should be available, too.
Gray is in the final year of his contract and has pitched well. Trading Duran would clear up the outfield logjam, and his skill set should be able to attract a contender. Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s versatility also could net a prospect.
Saturday offered more evidence that the Sox are not legitimate contenders and that their focus should be on changing that for next season. The sooner they get started, the better.
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.
