Major League Baseballs Trade deadline gives teams a chance to either add pieces to help make their ball club a contender, or sell off pieces for assets that could benefit their team in the future. Unfortunately the difference between a buyer and a seller is defined by how your season as a team is going. For the Boston Red Sox, their season is not going very well, thus making them sellers. Even more unfortunate for fans, some of the best assets on a baseball team are typically fans favorite players.
Mitch Moreland:
Moreland signed with the Red Sox in 2017 after seven season with the Texas Rangers. He made an immediate impact with one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He hit .246 with 22 home-runs and 79 runs batted in. Mitch also doubled a career high 34 times that season, coining him the nickname “Mitchy 2-Bags”. He followed up that season by becoming an All Star in 2018 for the first time in his career.
Mitch will forever be known for his heroic World Series pinch hit home-run. Up 2-1 in the series, down 4-0 in game 4 in the top of the 7th with 2 outs Mitch Moreland hit a pinch hit three run home-run. The Red Sox would come all the way back to win that game 9-6 and to win the 2018 World Series four games to one. Mitch was having a tremendous start to the season hitting .328 this season which is by far the best he has hit in any season. The value for Mitch Moreland has never been higher for the Red Sox and new President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom. The deal made the most sense for the Red Sox, but Mitch was for sure a fan favorite after his three and a half seasons in a Red Sox uniform.
Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman:
I’ll admit this trade happened a little before the deadline, however the Red Sox did ship their two best bullpen arms to Philadelphia. Brandon Workman’s six year Red Sox career has come to a close. Although early on he struggled, the last three season he had really come on as a reliable back end of the bullpen arm. He has a career ERA of 3.79 and had his best season for the Red Sox last year where he went 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 16 saves in 71.2 innings. He also managed to strike out 104 men as well.
Heath Hembree is actually having his worst statistical season of his career this season. He has a sub 6 ERA now when he has previously been under a 3.90 ERA for his career, respectfully. Hembree has eaten up quite a few innings over the years for the Red Sox. He was primarily used as the “throw into the fire” bullpen pitcher due to his lowering WHIP in the last three seasons. He always seemingly managed to get the Red Sox out of important innings.
A Question Mark:
There must not have been a large market for Jackie Bradley Jr. At seasons end, Bradley becomes a free agent and as the Red Sox have not yet extended him, you have to imagine they tried shopping the Gold Glove center fielder. Bradley has been up and down with the bat in his Red Sox career but it appears that the team will try to work things out with him unless they are just going to let him walk in the off-season. It was a shock to many that Bradley Jr wasn’t on the move at the deadline and only time will tell what his future in a Red Sox uniform looks like.
The Boston Red Sox can only build for the future as right now they aren’t going anywhere. Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez coming back next season provide much support to a struggling starting rotation. The bullpen will be a lot of the focus this off-season as well as a few free agents that could help the offense. The Red Sox have a decent amount of work to do with their pitching staff or I very well could be writing a similar post next season at the trade deadline. Only time will tell.
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