The Boston Red Sox have muddled around under .500 all season long, but one game before the All-Star Break they had climbed to four games under .500 and sat just five games out of first place in the American League East. Following a six-game losing streak, though, the team is 42-52 and 10 games out of first place. It’s time for Boston to give up on 2015.

Since it seems incredibly unlikely the team can make the playoffs this season, it’s time for them to flip to the other side of the trade market, the side of the sellers. The only problem for the Red Sox is that they don’t have many tradable assets.

Two players could interest other teams, but they won’t get a great prospect return from either one. Those two players are outfielder Shane Victorino and catcher Mike Napoli. Regardless of the fact neither is going to net them a great return, they need to get what they can for their veterans.

The Minnesota Twins make a lot of sense for Napoli, as they’re looking for offensive help from the catching position with Kurt Suzuki struggling at the plate. He’s not as appealing as some other catchers on the market, like A.J. Pierzynski and Jonathan Lucroy, but his lower price could entice the Twins.

As for Victorino, he’s likely only to appeal to teams looking for outfield depth as no team is going to trade for him as a starter. Nonetheless, his veteran presence has to be appealing to some squads.

It’s a depressing reality, but the Red Sox have to give up on competing in 2015 even though they invested so much into the season. Boston must cut their losses and deal who they can. More importantly, they need to avoid being buyers despite their current situation.

If they deal some veterans as they should this deadline, the team’s record will likely get worse by season’s end. That means the players they trade away might not be the only ones on their way out of Boston.