Did the Boston Red Sox do enough at the trade deadline to give themselves an edge in the American League playoff race?
First-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. made five trades in total. They brought back veteran left-hander James Paxton in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and acquired right-handed-hitting catcher Danny Jansen from the Toronto Blue Jays, high-upside right-hander Quinn Priester from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and relievers Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia from the Cincinnati Reds and L.A. Angels, respectively.
Although none of those moves were blockbusters, they addressed glaring needs on the roster. The question is, will they be enough to earn a playoff spot over other AL Wild Card contenders like the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners or Houston Astros?
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The post-deadline batch of MLB power rankings from national media is a mixed bag for Boston. While experts commend the Red Sox for upgrading their bullpen, Boston still sits outside the top 10 amid its rough start to the second half of the campaign.
Here's a look at how national outlets view the Red Sox with two months remaining in the regular season.
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ESPN: 12th
"Boston was one of several teams attempting to walk the tightrope between improving the club and keeping the cost low -- whether in payroll or prospect capital. In the end, the Red Sox made five marginal moves that made them better, but, on paper, still leaves them lagging behind the best teams in the AL.
"They were desperate for starting pitching, and reuniting with James Paxton was an obvious decision when he was made available. The Red Sox sought a right-handed batter and landed on catcher Danny Jansen, a .212 hitter they envision having better success pounding baseballs off the Green Monster with his 51.9% pull rate and 35.8 fly ball percentage. Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia are bullpen upgrades, but will they be enough to help Boston outlast stiff competition for a wild-card spot? We shall see."
Sportsnaut (Matt Johnson): 12th
Johnson: "It’s fair to say the Boston Red Sox didn’t take an aggressive approach to the MLB trade deadline, or anything close to it. Lucas Sims adds some depth to the Red Sox bullpen and James Paxton can be a No. 5 starter, but Paxton was also DFAd by the Los Angeles Dodgers. If Boston is going to make the playoffs, it will require that .826 OPS since June 1 (1st in MLB) to be close to the standard in August and September."
theScore: 14th
"How bad has Boston's pitching been lately? Well, the Red Sox are 4-8 since the All-Star break despite scoring the third-most runs in MLB. That's because the pitching staff owns a 6.16 ERA over that time. One of the big reasons for those struggles has been a bullpen that's blown eight saves in nine chances. Boston added two good arms in Lucas Sims and Luis García, which should help settle things."
Leitch: "Luis García and Lucas Sims were brought in to help fix the Red Sox’s biggest concern -- their bullpen -- but not at such an expensive cost that they mortgaged too much. They weren’t as aggressive as the Royals were, though, which could be a problem: That is the team they’re fighting for a Wild Card spot, after all."
Bleacher Report (Joel Reuter): 15th
Reuter: "The Red Sox settled for a reunion with James Paxton, an upgrade to Danny Jansen at backup catcher and the bullpen tandem of Luis García and Lucas Sims as the extent of their trade deadline activity. Given the fact that this year's team has already exceeded expectations, not selling the farm for a wild-card run made sense. It will be interesting to see who ends up winning the Nick Yorke-Quinn Priester swap with the Pittsburgh Pirates."