John Tomase reacts to Jarren Duran’s apology for using a homophobic slur on Sunday and what it means for the outfielder’s role as a leader on this team going forward.
In one welcome sense, the Red Sox went for it at the trade deadline. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, reversing years of cautious inaction, traded 10 minor leaguers to address needs in the bullpen, rotation, and lineup.
In a more skeptical sense, the Red Sox played it cautiously, eschewing a big name like Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty in favor of lesser lights with lower ceilings.
Between those two extremes, the deadline could be interpreted however you liked. Some, like me, saw it as a solid B-minus. Even if they only improved on the margins, the Red Sox gave themselves a fighting chance to secure a wild card berth. Others, like The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy, asked why anyone would celebrate another round of bargain-basement shopping when the team possesses the resources to make real improvements.
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Two weeks later, we can start to render some judgements, and so far, Team They Didn't Do Enough is winning.
Of the four players the Red Sox acquired, only one, backup catcher Danny Jansen, could be described as meeting or exceeding expectations. He's hitting .368 with a pair of homers while giving the team exactly what it needed -- a right-handed bat to feast on left-handed pitching.
Unfortunately, the club's greatest needs came on the pitching side, and here is where they've been let down considerably.
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Left-hander James Paxton lasted only two starts and five pitches before suffering a calf injury that landed him on the injured list. He said he felt a pop while trying to cover first base on Sunday, and manager Alex Cora on Monday didn't sound particularly positive.
"He's in pain," Cora said. "We'll see what happens."
Given Paxton's extensive injury history and general inability to finish a season, making him the lone addition to the starting rotation always represented a considerable risk. Red Sox pitchers have allowed over 150 runs since the All-Star break, and they're the primary culprits for the team's 9-13 record in that span.
With Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford showing signs of fatigue and the staff surrendering home runs at an alarming rate, Breslow really needed to find another starter and it didn't happen.
The starting struggles might be mitigated if his bullpen additions were pitching better. After a solid start to his Red Sox career, right-hander Lucas Sims has allowed runs in last two outings, including a blown loss to the Astros on Friday. His ERA is approaching 10.00.
The other reliever they landed, right-hander Luis Garcia, has been abysmal, allowing nine hits and eight runs in six innings while posting a 12.00 ERA.
Acquired to stabilize the back of the bullpen until primary setup men Chris Martin and Justin Slaten returned, Garcia instead has permitted runs in four straight appearances while serving up a pair of homers. Not what the Red Sox were looking for out of an experienced 37-year-old who had posted a 3.71 ERA with the Angels. And making matters worse, they surrendered four players to get him, including well-regarded shortstop Matthew Lugo.
The good news is there's time to right the ship.
Monday's much-needed walk-off win over the Rangers moved the Red Sox back within two games of the Royals for the final wild card spot. While it's true that the starting pitching has been wobbly, it's also evident that none of the other wild card contenders is so dominant as to be uncatchable.
For the Red Sox to finish this surprising summer in the playoffs, they'll need more from their trade deadline pickups. All four players are rentals, so what you see over the next six weeks is probably what you're going to get.
While it was reasonable to commend Breslow for the moves at the time, they'll ultimately be judged on the results, and so far, they're coming up short.
