As the MLB season progresses, there is something that is gaining more clarity every single day: always have trust in Dave Dombrowski. This man is a freaking genius. As far as this year goes, he’s made some incredible moves. The funniest thing is that Red Sox fans scratched their heads when told about these trades. Nobody expected the Red Sox to trade for Steve Pearce. It came out of nowhere. The reason Dombrowski made the call was Pearce is a first baseman/outfielder. Andrew Benintendi has struggled mightily against lefties up to this point. Mitch Moreland is also someone who isn’t the greatest against left-handed pitchers. So in came Steve Pearce. 

Steve Pearce, Yankee Slayer

Pearce was never rumored with Boston, another reason why the trade was interesting. But again, have trust in Dave. That man knows best. Since coming to Boston, he has hit .333 with an OPS of .921. The job for him was to hit against lefties, but this man can also mash against righties too. He’s also very reliable on defense over at first along with Moreland. Pearce has been absolutely everything Dombrowski traded for and more. 

Anyone know of the New York Yankees? That team that’s in the division race with the Red Sox? Well yeah, Steve Pearce went out and hit three homers against them last night. Not a typo. They all went over the Monster, with one of them landing on Lansdowne. Say all you want about Dave Dombrowski and what he’s done with the farm system. If there’s one thing this man is good at doing, it’s building a really, really talented baseball team. And I couldn’t be more happy that Dave Dombrowski is the President of Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox. And I couldn’t be more happy that Steve Pearce is a member of the Boston Red Sox. 

I think it would be a good idea to give him an extension this winter. 

The MLB trade deadline finally came to a close, but not before many moves were made. Sellers like the Orioles, Marlins, and Rays all cleaned house. Buyers such as the Dodgers, Braves, and Diamondbacks also made some key moves. As far as the Red Sox go, I’m here to explain what exactly they did and didn’t do, and what this means going forward.

WHAT THEY DID

The first trade for Steve Pearce was a great one. In Boston so far, he’s hit .333 with a .921 OPS. He touts a very reliable bat and can hit anybody, especially lefties. The Nathan Eovaldi move was another good one. It provided needed depth for the rotation. Eovaldi is no ace, but certainly someone with good stuff who can give you a reliable outing quite often. He has high velocity and good movement on his pitches. This only adds to an overall solid rotation. 

With Pedroia likely out for the whole year with his nagging injury, second base was a big hole for this team. Dombrowski cleaned that up by acquiring Ian Kinsler from the Angels. This move gives Cora more flexibility as far as how he wants the lineup and the infield to look every night. He can work with guys like Devers, Nunez, Holt, and of course Kinsler. He’ll be able to swap and platoon guys on a nightly basis.

David Price, who was a teammate of Kinsler’s in Detroit, said Kinsler was the closest teammate he’s had to Pedroia. That is definitely news you want to hear. The thing I love most about this trade is the fact that he is another old teammate who used to play with three guys on this current Red Sox team; David Price, J.D. Martinez, Rick Porcello, and Ian Kinsler all played together on the 2014 Detroit Tigers. They are all teammates on a winning team here again, which will hopefully work in the Red Sox favor. 

WHAT THEY DIDN’T DO

The move that everyone wanted Dombrowski to make was for a reliever. This Red Sox bullpen hasn’t been the most reliable this year. It’s definitely their weak spot, if they have one. Unfortunately, this was the move Dombrowski wasn’t able to pull the trigger on. Zach Britton, a guy rumored around the Red Sox, never had a chance to end up in Boston. In fact, they didn’t have enough for any reliever, with their farm system being too depleted at the moment. Although it might be a little concerning that the front office didn’t make a move for a bullpen arm, there is a reason they held back.

Recently, Tyler Thornburg has started to look like what he’s expected to be. Another man named Ryan Brasier has jumped into the spotlight as well, posting an ERA south of 1.00 in ten innings. Although he isn’t proven, he’s been pitching very effectively in his role ever since being called up to Fenway. You also can’t forget the Sox have one of the best closers in baseball, Craig Kimbrel, along with Matt Barnes, who has been much better lately. Come playoffs, a few starters will be relegated to the ‘pen as well, adding even further insurance late in games. 

Where This Leaves Them

All in all, Dombrowsi was able work out some deals that will only prove to be positive. Let’s keep in mind that the Red Sox team has the best record in all of baseball. They were great to begin with, and these moves can only make them more dangerous.

Zach Britton was a name rumored among many teams within the last few weeks. Britton  had arguably the greatest season ever by a reliever just a couple years ago. Its no secret why a team in the pennant race would want to snatch this guy. The race for Britton came between three teams: Houston, New York, and Boston. 

Recently, I wrote that the Red Sox wouldn’t have enough for Britton. They were in play for him, no doubt, as this is a team that certainly needs help in its bullpen. Dombrowski knew he had too little pieces to trade to Baltimore in order to get a guy like Britton. Unless they give up the only good prospects left for a rental, no deal can be done. 

BRITTON TRADED

So no deal was done, as Britton was traded to the Yankees. As the info released on who the Yankees gave up, it became more of a realization the Red Sox never had a chance. Three years ago, Dombrowski traded four solid prospects to San Diego for Craig Kimbrel. Dombrowski had to give up a lot in that trade because he was getting three years of Kimbrel in return. In this case with Britton, you can’t really do that with a rental. The Yankees did. They didn’t necessarily give up exactly what Boston was willing to give up. But they came awfully close to the deal the Red Sox did as far as the top prospects they had to give away.

So in reality, there was never a shot for Dombrowski to get this deal done. Jeurys Familia, who was an option for the Red Sox, was traded to Oakland. So there’s another guy crossed off the list. The trade deadline is getting closer and closer. Options become more slim and it will be vital to make a deal as this bullpen is becoming more worrisome every day. It’s going to be tough, but we have to put faith in Dombrowski. 

There are a lot of names being thrown around in trade rumors for the Red Sox. Some are more legit than others. Zach Britton has been a name being mentioned around many MLB clubs. So far the Astros, Indians, and yes, Red Sox are prominent landing spots for Britton. A potential move for him  will be important in order to revamp Boston’s relief pitching. 

The Price Is Too High

Other than Craig Kimbrel, its hard to find many reliable guys late in a game for this team. The perfect thing Dombrowski could do for this team would be acquiring another closer/late reliever type guy. Zach Britton has a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings this year with 13 strikeouts and four saves. He has a career 3.23 ERA with 425 strikeouts. As good as someone such as Zach Britton may sound, it’s looking like that won’t be an option anymore. The Red Sox farm system has been depleted too much over the last few years, to the point where its harder to make the blockbuster moves they once were able to do so easily. The asking price from Dan Duquette and the Baltimore Orioles for Britton is way too high for the Red Sox. 

Again, Britton would fit great in Boston and on this team in particular no doubt. But you will have to pay the consequences of trading away lots of your farm system over the years, and this is one of them. It’s unfortunate, but there are plenty other fish in the sea. With the trading deadline still a of couple weeks away, Dombrowski will have all the time he needs to figure something out to help this team, as he’s done greatly over the years. 

This Red Sox bullpen becomes more worrisome by the day. Joe Kelly, who is supposed to be one of the more reliable guys, now has an ERA near 4.0. In fact, since the beginning of June, he owns an ERA of 8.31. In other words, definitely not someone you can trust, especially against a team like the Yankees or Astros. As far as Tyler Thornburg goes, you can’t rush him into high leverage situations just yet as he just returned back to the show. Other than Kimbrel and Matt Barnes, who have overall been solid, there really is nobody who is trustworthy. So what can Dombrowski do in order to make this bullpen less stressful?

Dave Dombrowski has a history of having the relief pitching be the weakest part of his teams. And as we’ve seen for years now, it’s incredibly important to have a good bullpen if you want to win in the postseason. Dombrowski will have to prove this deadline that he can in fact build a good enough squad of relievers. I’m here to tell you that some good news. They certainly are active and will continue to be until a deal is made. I recently mentioned their interest in Jeurys Familia from the Mets. But there is another name out there as well that I recently got some specific info on.

Sox Are Eyeing Britton

Of all the relievers out there, Zach Britton is one you may want to keep an eye on. According to sources, Britton is in play as far as the Red Sox go. The only thing getting in the way are the Red Sox prospects. They aren’t so sure that the Orioles will be interested in anyone in their farm system. If the price is going to be too much, they can’t do it. The farm system has already been depleted too much to just get rid of more guys. Another big job for Dombrowski will be revamping that farm system. But that’s a conversation for another day.

So once again, don’t forget about Zach Britton, even if he belongs to a division rival. If the Orioles can find some prospects that they like that won’t hurt Boston’s farm system too much, a deal could very well be worked out. Although a trade is not imminent, it’s certainly possible, and something that would help this shaky bullpen out a great deal.

As the trade deadline keeps getting closer, reporters are linking the Red Sox more and more to certain names on the trade block. But which stories are more accurate and worth looking into? With a Manny Machado trade likely to happen any day now, he of course is on many teams’ wish lists. Those teams are the Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees, even Red Sox. As far as where the Red Sox stand in this, I wouldn’t look too much into it. The report that they showed interested in the Baltimore slugger was overblown. In other words, it’s not likely he’ll end up in Beantown. 

The Red Sox have made it clear recently that they don’t need an addition to their offense. The bullpen is definitely more of a need. Although Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, even Heath Hembree have been strong as of late along with Tyler Thornburg proving himself to be real, another arm would still be nice and reassuring. Reports came out recently saying that Fernando Rodney fielded interest from the Red Sox, but in reality they haven’t even discussed anything as far as that goes. However, there is one option that could be a possibility. 

The New York Mets have been a mess this year. After starting off the season 11-1, they have been one of the worst teams in baseball, so it’s no surprise to see several guys on that team are on the trade block. As for the Red Sox, they have interest in closer Jeurys Familia. Familia has had success this year with a 3.11 ERA, 2.63 FIP and 40 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. So keep an eye out for him. It will be interesting to see how the deadline plays out. When it comes to the Red Sox, expect a move for the ‘pen. 

The Red Sox rotation is among the many great things about this 2018 squad. Chris Sale has been great. Porcello has done a great job as well. However, there are still a few questions regarding Boston’s starters. 

The first question is David Price. With an ERA over 4.00 this season, Price hasn’t been one you can count on so far into the year. For a large chunk of his career in Boston so far, it’s been nothing but meh. And meh is not what you want to see coming out of a guy who gets about $1,000,000 a start. I myself haven’t fully given up on this guy, and neither should you. But there is no question that needs to start getting it together and pitch like the ace that we signed. 

The other question is Drew Pomeranz/Steven Wright. Who is going to have the fourth/fifth spot of the rotation between the two? Pomeranz, before going on the DL for a while, was awful. And that’s just being nice. With an ERA near 7.00, he got knocked out for a while before starting his return. So far, his return isn’t looking so good. In one of his more recent starts in the minors, he gave up four homers. Steven Wright, on the other hand, had a sub 2.00 ERA in three starts before giving up ten earned runs to Seattle. He has been on the DL ever since. 

As far as Eduardo Rodriguez goes, he has had an overall solid year. He hasn’t shown his full potential yet but he’s certainly shown flashes of a top of the rotation arm. 

One other alarming thing about this rotation is the fact that none of their current starters have any proven postseason success. If the plan is to go deep into October, that fact has to change. I don’t think many people are concerned about Chris Sale. But as far as Rick Porcello, David Price (who is historically bad in October), and the guys who don’t have much experience such as ERod, Pomeranz, and Wright go, they will be needing to step up. 

Now here comes the question: should Dombrowski look to add at that position specifically as the deadline approaches? It’s definitely not a #1 need. The bullpen would be the first thing most people would point to. If there is a cheap price to get a pretty good starter, sure. Why not just pull the trigger? But unless Dombrowski can get some kind of steal, there should be no real urgency to get a starting pitcher. 

The Red Sox haven’t gotten the best performance out of third and second base this year. With Pedroia out, Eduardo Nunez has been a nightmare defensively. He hasn’t hit much either. Rafael Devers, on the other hand, has struggled defensively, and somewhat offensively, but has also shown his potential. You have to remember at 21, he has yet to reach his prime. The Red Sox, realizing they’ll need some depth for the infield, recently signed infielder Brandon Phillips to a minor league deal.

What does this mean?

Brandon Phillips has never been an amazing player, but not been a bad one either. With a career .740 OPS, he can certainly add value to the lineup as well as offer a defense option for the infield. Throughout the years he solidified himself as one of the best defensive second basemen in the game. Although his defense has dipped a bit the last few years, he can definitely be reliable as an option over Nunez.  

Photo Credit: Sporting News

Phillips is now in Florida, working out and getting into his best shape before he play third base for Pawtucket. The Red Sox were recently rumored to be involved with a couple other teams interested in acquiring Adrian Beltre. If Phillips works out, they will probably just stick with him throughout the rest of the year. Phillips can also provide mentorship for Devers  at third. With Devers still growing and learning the game, he’ll need to have a mentor and all the help he can get at the hot corner.

So for all the possible trades this upcoming deadline that Dave Dombrowski can consider, the signing of Phillips could potentially eliminate one of them. This would provide needed depth for the infield in case Pedroia can’t make a return. Too early to see how this will work out, but it’s definitely a smart move by the front office that could end up really paying off in the end.