Red Sox must stand pat at trade deadline
By Noah Small
With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, the Red Sox need to stand still and not make any sudden moves.
It’s that time of year again. Here we are approaching the Aug. 1 trade deadline for baseball and it’s down to just a week. But this year brings about a very different feel and mindset for Red Sox Nation than has been present the last few seasons.
It’s simple, the Sox are in the hunt, and naturally this sets off a chain reaction starting with the fan base and running all the way up to principal owner John W. Henry.
Rampant calls for the team’s management to invest into this season are made, and not just by “casual” fans, but by local reporters and annalists alike. It should be easy to understand, since after all this is Boston, and as such the fan base expects to not only be in the running for a playoff spot, but to contend for a championship year in and year out.
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But, just because the Red Sox have come in last place three out of the last four seasons, does not warrant calls to sell the farm in order to capitalize on one or a couple of seasons. This isn’t Chicago, we aren’t the Cubs who haven’t won it all in over a century. Nor are we Cleveland (though the Cavs helped ease some of their misery; good for them) who are looking at a 67 year drought.
Just three years ago in 2013, Boston brought home another title. Now granted it was just “lightning in a bottle”, but it is relevant. The Red Sox don’t need to get desperate. This isn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity to obtain a thought unattainable glory, nor should it be treated that way.
Boston is in great position roster wise as is, and furthermore, as an organization for the foreseeable future. A minor league system boasting the likes of up-and-coming stars such as Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi is a huge reason why. The Sox should not look to trade these pieces in order to maximize what they can get out of this season.
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Of course with the incredible performance David Ortiz has put on so far and the injuries to the top of their bullpen, added to the staid need of starting rotation help, it is tempting to desire moves this week. But, Boston’s focus should be on the future and the present, rather than the now, alone.
Some might argue that using all your chips in order to have the best possible opportunity at coming away with the whole pot – a World Series Championship – over the next couple of seasons makes it all worth while. Yet, those very well might be the same individuals who would not be willing to trade a Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts and pieces, to bring a disgruntled Chris Sale to Yawkey Way.
While we know what Mooks and the X-Man have matured into, the Moncadas, Benintendis, and Espinozas (remember him?) of the club are much less painful to part with at present, because, well they’ve never played a game in the majors. But, as with many things in life, just because it doesn’t hurt right away doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
Remember when the Sox made that trade for Adrian Gonzalez of the Padre’s? Sending them a couple of prospects headlined by future dud Casey Kelly, and oh yea, the first baseman now known as Anthony Rizzo. No, Boston didn’t know what they had in Rizzo; nobody did. But, what the Red Sox were trying to accomplish in this trade was satisfy the here and now. Become contenders, if not front-runners over night, and forget about the rest. Let tomorrow take care of itself.
We remember how that turned out, and the preseason front-runners that were the Sox, were dismantled just two short years after their failings. It took that dismantling (and numerous outside factors) to cause what we now know as “lucky ’13”. When Boston would come out of last place to win back the hearts of Sox Nation and inspire an entire city, only to return to bottom dwelling the next two seasons.
The 2013 Red Sox were unsustainable. They were a group of overachieving veterans greatly driven by tragedy and the weight of a city-and nation-to go on a heroic run.
Boston is now at a crossroads, and with Dave Dombrowski (and his alternative personality- Dealin’ Dave) steering the ship, it could get messy fast. Restraint in trade season is something of which Dombrowski notoriously has very little. This month he has already dealt two key pitching prospects, Aaron Wilkerson and Anderson Espinoza, and if a mega deal is in the works as has been rumored, much of the farm could be at stake. That would be a mistake.
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What the Sox have by being in the position they are currently in for the future, takes years of effort, shrewd moves, and lots of money. Boston should look to start reaping the harvest of talent they have grown in the minors and build their team around it, rather than give it away.