It isn’t often said that a team 10 games under .500 should be buying at the trade deadline, but that’s exactly the situation the Boston Red Sox find themselves in right now. They invested a total of $183 million in Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez over the course of both their contracts, but they didn’t stop there.
Boston also completely remade its rotation, acquiring Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Justin Masterson for the 2015 season. None of those pitchers has an ERA below 4.50. While Clay Buchholz is starting to pitch like an ace, the rest of the rotation hasn’t stepped up.
This team needs another arm in order to climb back into the playoff picture, and in the American League East, where they are nine games out of first place, it isn’t farfetched to say an ace could make them a contender. Based on how they’ve played, it could be a lot worse for Boston.
If they go after an ace like Cole Hamels at the deadline and give themselves a solid one-two punch with Buchholz, they may have a shot of climbing back into the playoff picture. The most essential part of the equation, though, is getting the players they signed this offseason to start performing to their potential.
Their offense ranks 15th in runs scored and Sandoval is hitting .275 with just six home runs this season. Ramirez is coming into his own, hitting .283 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs. Sandoval needs to follow his teammate’s lead for Boston to have any hope.
In the rotation, Boston needs Miley, Porcello and Masterson to step up, even if the team trades for someone like Hamels. Without at least one of them becoming the pitcher they’ve shown they can be in the past, no move the team can make will do any good.
With so much already invested in this season, the Red Sox need to invest a little more to try and salvage what is turning into a lost season. If they don’t go all-in and try to make up for the underperformance of signings made this offseason, the team may finish in last place for the second straight year.
That finish in the division could result in members of the coaching staff and/or front office losing their jobs.