The Boston Red Sox looked like obvious MLB trade deadline buyers before the All-Star break. They finished the first half of the season on fire with the third American League Wild Card spot and were only 4.5 games back in the AL East.
What a difference a week can make.
The Red Sox have lost four consecutive games since returning from the break. They enter Tuesday night two games behind the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card race and seven games back in the division. Suddenly, selling is back on the table for Boston's front office with only six games left before the deadline.
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On Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox "haven't ruled out" trading away some of their standout players on expiring contracts.
"Tellingly, even as the Sox explore potential upgrades, according to major league sources, they haven’t ruled out the possibility of dealing away high-end rental players such as Kenley Jansen, Nick Pivetta, or Tyler O’Neill," Speier wrote. "Obviously, the bar to do so would be high – especially now, given that the team remains very much in the wild-card mix — but not necessarily insuperable.
"Does that mean the Sox will sell? Not necessarily. Does it mean they won’t buy? Not necessarily."
Parting ways with Jansen, Pivetta, or O'Neill would signal that the front office is punting on the rest of the 2024 season. All three players would be key to Boston's success over the final two months of the campaign. They also represent three of the club's biggest needs if it chooses to buy -- a reliable reliever, a solid starter, and a right-handed bat.
With first-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. seemingly still on the fence with their deadline approach, the Red Sox' performance over their next six games will likely be the deciding factor. It'll be a challenging stretch with two more road games vs. the Colorado Rockies, followed by a three-game home series against the New York Yankees and one home game against the Seattle Mariners.
The 2024 MLB trade deadline is set for July 30 at 6 p.m. ET.