The Red Sox Should Be Buyers

To say the least, it’s been an adventurous 2023 season for the Boston Red Sox. Starting with the offseason injury of Trevor Story, all the way through the inconsistencies of thrilling win streaks and embarrassing losing streaks. Now it’s July 20th, the Red Sox are 51-46 and in the heart of a playoff race. They are currently 5.86 million dollars under the luxury tax and staying under that threshold should still be a goal. That being said, there are numerous avenues and paths to improve the major league roster while staying under the tax. The Red Sox should be buyers at the deadline and getting creative financially will be the key to improving the roster.

The good news for the Red Sox is that Chris Sale and Trevor Story are on the verge of returning. It’s almost as if they are adding two major pieces at the trade deadline without giving up anything in return. With that being said, that shouldn’t keep them from adding elsewhere as well. Looking across the league, they won’t be short of options. Let’s take a look at seven trades that the Red Sox should consider as we approach the August 1st trade deadline.

To Note: Though there are numerous options around the league that the Red Sox can and should consider, the focus here is players that the Red Sox can logically target and stay within the window that will allow them to stay under the tax.

Boston Add Cease

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• Red Sox Receive: P Dylan Cease, P Seth Keller, P Lane Ramsey
• White Sox Receive: OF Ceddanne Rafaela, P Tanner Houck & P Luis De Avila
• Braves Receive: OF Adam Duvall

Why should the Red Sox do it? They land a top-of-the-rotation caliber pitcher. Though Cease is having a bit of a down year, he was dominant in 2022. He’s been durable and is under team control through 2025. They also add 19-year-old Braves prospect Seth Keller, & 27-year-old White Sox prospect Lane Ramsey. This deal would also allow the Red Sox to save money financially under the tax in 2023.

The White Sox are going to tear it down a bit and they should be listening on every player. Houck brings a talented major league arm back with team control through 2027. In addition, they add a top 100 prospect that was recently promoted to AAA and should contribute within a year. Elite defense, great speed, and solid power for his size

For the Braves, they should be in the market for another right-handed outfield bat. Adam Duvall has spent five years of his career with Atlanta already so both sides know each other well.

Red Sox Add To The Bullpen

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• Red Sox Receive: RP Jordan Hicks
• Cardinals Receive: OF Wilyer Abreu & IF/OF Matthew Lugo

The Red Sox are looking to bolster their bullpen by adding the veteran Jordan Hicks. Over 38.1 innings, Hicks features a 3.76 ERA, 58 SOs & 3.00 FIP. Chaim Bloom spent big to improve the Red Sox bullpen this past offseason and it has paid off. That being said, you can never have enough quality arms for a playoff run. Hicks is a UFA after the 2023 season

For the Cardinals, management has already said they will be sellers and Hicks will almost certainly be on the move. They add 24-year-old outfielder Wilyer Abreu and 22-year-old Matthew Lugo. After being traded to Boston last season, Abreu is posting .248 BA, and .369 OBP with 13 homers in AAA this year. Matthew Lugo has spent time in both the outfield and infield this year in AA.

Red Sox Add To The Rotation

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• Red Sox Receive: SP Jack Flaherty
• Cardinals Receive: IF David Hamilton & P Bradley Blalock

The Red Sox add a pitcher that was once one of the most promising young pitchers in the majors. Now at 27 years old, and dealing with numerous injuries, Flaherty is experiencing his first healthy season in years. Though he’s not the dominant pitcher he once was, he’s an experienced arm that could be exactly what the Red Sox need down the stretch. Flaherty is a free agent after the 2023 season.

For the Cardinals, they add two prospects to the mix. Hamilton is currently in AAA and could contribute sooner rather than later. Though the most interesting piece here is Bradley Blalock. After missing 2022 from Tommy John surgery, Blalock has experienced early success since his return. He offers the solid upside that St. Louis would be looking for in a return for Flaherty.

Brandon Drury To Boston

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• Red Sox Receive: 2B Brandon Drury
• Angels Receive: 2B Christian Arroyo & IF David Hamilton

When Xander Bogaerts left and Trevor Story underwent elbow surgery, Brandon Drury was one of many options to replace them and help Boston fill needs in the middle infield. Now, with the Angels on the downslide after Mike Trout’s injury and the Red Sox on the rise, they seem like logical trade partners here.

For the Red Sox, they add another quality bat to their lineup. Drury is batting .277 with a .322 OBP and 14 HRs. With Story likely returning to play shortstop, second base will seem to be the Red Sox’s weakest spot in the lineup. Drury is currently on the injured list but is expected back within the next couple of weeks.

For the Angels, they squeeze value out of Drury after just signing him this offseason. They’d save money by unloading his remaining contract while adding Arroyo to fill his spot in the lineup. On top of that, they add a prospect to the mix. Hamilton made his MLB debut this season but has primarily played in AAA. Hamilton is batting .246 with 11 HRs and 31 SBs.

Red Sox Make A Major Splash

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• Red Sox Receive: P Blake Snell & 2B Ha-Seong Kim + 1.5 million cash
• Padres Receive: P Tanner Houck, 2B Christian Arroyo, P Bryan Mata, 1B Niko Kavadas, C Ricardo Olivar & P Sean Mooney
• Twins Receive: OF Adam Duvall

In what would certainly be considered a blockbuster type of move, Chaim Bloom looks to go for it in 2023 without sacrificing major prospects.

For the Red Sox, they use three current major leaguers and two prospects to add upgrade significantly at two spots on the roster. After a slow start to the season, Blake Snell has been dominant for the past two months. At 2B, Kim brings a quality bat and great defense. He currently ranks 5th in the MLB in WAR. Sending away Duvall and receiving cash in this deal would help the Red Sox absorb the remaining 2023 salaries of Snell and Kim.

The Padres are in a tough spot. After spending big again this offseason, they are well under .500 and look to be logical sellers. Snell is a pending free agent after the season and looks like he could be moved while they can still get something for him. The Padres add Tanner Houck, a young promising major league arm. Christian Arroyo can fill in for Kim in the short term, while they also add four prospects.

For the Twins, though they only sit two games above .500, they lead the AL Central. They are in need of an outfield bat and Adam Duvall fits that for them. They send out two mid-tier prospects to bring his bat to Minnesota

Joe Kelly Fight Club Returns To Boston

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Red Sox Receive: P Joe Kelly + 2.5 million dollars

Mets Receive: IF Christian Koss & P Grant Gambrell

This move is small, simple, and to the point. The Red Sox are reportedly looking to add a righty reliever to the bullpen. Joe Kelly loved his time in Boston and proved to be able to handle the pressure. The White Sox would likely need to pay for some of Kelly’s remaining salary the rest of the way in order to get the proper return. In this scenario, the Red Sox ship two prospects to Chicago.

Addition By Subtraction

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Red Sox Receive: P Trevor Williams

Dodgers Receive: UTIL Kikè Hernandez + 700k from Red Sox + 300k from Nationals

Nationals Receive: SS Sean McLain & C/1B Stephen Scott

Another small and simple deal that helps all teams involved. Boston moves on from Kikè Hernandez while adding a major league arm to help them down the stretch. In 19 starts, Trevor Williams has posted a 4.42 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 93.1 innings.

The Dodgers bring Hernandez back to LA (with some cash to help pay for his remaining 2023 salary) as they need help with depth all around the diamond. Washington sells off Williams and gets a return for someone who isn’t part of their long-term future.

The Best Path

When you look over all these options and consider all things involved, there are two moves here that combine to help bring the Red Sox into contention while staying under the tax. First off, complete the deal for Dylan Cease. The addition of a starting pitcher would allow the Red Sox to move Kutter Crawford or Tanner Houck to the bullpen once everyone is healthy. This deal would not only make a statement and improve the roster, but it would save the team money under the tax in 2023.

After the addition of Cease and the savings that come with it, the Red Sox should turn to the Angels for Brandon Drury. With the addition of Drury and the soon return of Trevor Story, the Red Sox would be able to produce one of the most complete lineups in baseball.

Overall, adding those two players would significantly help the Red Sox this year. In addition, both players are under contract beyond this season. It would sting to move on from Rafaela, but the Red Sox are set up in the outfield in 2024 with Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, and Alex Verdugo under contract. Now would be the ideal time to trade Rafaela for maximum return.

Will Chaim Bloom make these levels of moves? It would be something big to pull off. That being said, I believe most of the Red Sox fan base would be thrilled with this outcome at the deadline.

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