With the release of the new rule changes heading into 2019 one stands out as a benefit for the Boston Red Sox. With there now being a dedicated trade deadline, Boston can use that to influence the necessary moves they need to defend their World Championship.
Major League Baseball unloaded a bundle of rule changes that are to take effect over the course of the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The biggest of the changes come in the form of a dedicated trade deadline. Meaning once the clock strikes midnight on August 1st, deals can no longer be made. Players can still be added via waivers, but talks between teams must end. This means if the Red Sox want to beef up their roster to fill their deficiencies, they’ll need to act quick.
Right off the bat, this is a big thing for baseball as it instantly adds a feeling of urgency. And after a pair of lackluster free agent windows, we could all use a little more urgency from the front offices. As far as the Red Sox are concerned, this could also allow them to put some pressure on other clubs when it comes to the negotiating table. With Opening Day right around the corner, the Sox still have some issues that have yet to be addressed.
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So how can the Red Sox really use the trade deadline to help make the roster better? Simple, by having the deadline later in the season they’ll be able to show off their extra pieces. We all know that Boston has one too many catchers and not enough pitchers.
Well, now Dave Dombrowski and Alex Cora will have a little over four months to display Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon, and Blake Swihart. If they can get all three catchers some playing time then they can show them off and raise their value when trade talks begin. Recently the Kansas City Royals lost their top catcher in Salvador Perez though they signed veteran Martin Maldonado. Depending on how Maldonado turns out, Dombrowski could waive the catcher carrot in front of KC.
The urgency works both ways and knowing that July 31st will be here before we know it, this could force Dombrowski into making moves with more haste than he’d like to. That could be for better or worse but the bottom line is I don’t think we’ll be seeing teams sitting on their hands anymore.
The Red Sox has a singular goal this season of repeating as World Series Champions. After an offseason where they made minor moves, now is the time to strike. The front office has a few months to ramp up their scouting to find the pieces to fill the holes in the dam. The best part is now everyone is game ready and in full regular season mode.
You have to take spring training form with a grain of salt as not everyone needs to go all out to earn a spot. Now that the real games are about to begin, everyone will be going 100mph/second. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dombrowski has squads within his team to specifically monitor regions or positions to stay up to date on players.
July 31st will be here before we even realize it’s coming. Time waits for no one and that means double in the sports world. Injuries can happen in the blink of an eye and then all of a sudden you have to revamp your lineup. After such a quiet offseason, I believe the Red Sox will make a splash prior to the trade deadline to strengthen the roster. If they want to take another piece of silverware home at the end of the season they’ll have to.