Pitching has held the Red Sox back in the first half. Fixing that weakness to compliment the team’s strengths will be the post-break theme.
How does such a long season seem to move so fast? The All-Star break is nearly upon us, over half the season is gone, and the trade deadline will be here before we know it. And in all of that time, the Boston Red Sox, defending World Champions, have barely managed to keep their heads above water.
After 85 games, Boston sits at a decidedly mediocre 45-40. The Sox are already 10 games out of first place in the American League East and are 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot. Though not as strong overall as last season, the offense has generally produced. The team is fourth in runs scored and fifth in team OPS. The problem, clearly, has been the pitching staff, which consistently either blown huge leads or created enormous deficits. That embarrassment of a series in London was proof enough of that.
There are still bright spots already on the team, but the Red Sox need reinforcements if they want any sort of chance at making up ground. Some of those will come from within the organization, but some will have to come from without, and that means some players currently on the team will be leaving. As we look forward to the second half and a potential playoff run, here are the players trending up, and those who might not be in Boston much longer.