Red Sox: 3 players Boston should’ve moved at the Trade Deadline
The Red Sox were busy at the Trade Deadline, but were the busy enough?
Coming into this year’s Trade Deadline we all knew that things were going to be a bit different. With teams only having a month to evaluate the talent they had on the roster in real-game situations, it was going to be difficult to make some deals before 4 pm on August 31st. The Red Sox, however, were able to get things done and Chaim Bloom had what looks like a successful first trade window in Boston.
Had the Sox been in a better position in the standings, things may have looked vastly different ahead of Monday’s deadline. But since they’re scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel and a number one pick is looking like a reality, they were selling machines. This is the reason we saw Mitch Moreland and Kevin Pillar sent away to lovely West Coast teams. Bloom didn’t just ship em off though, he got some great prospects for Moreland and the return for Pillar is said to be strong as well.
It was clear what his approach was going to be as the Red Sox have a large number of veteran players who would become free agents at the end of this year. Bloom’s goal was to get what he could in return for as many players as he could that may be leaving for greener pastures come wintertime.
Despite achieving this goal with a few players, there are still some on the roster that should’ve been moved to new locations. Let’s get a look at who I feel are the Top-3 that should’ve made their ways elsewhere.
Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes
This one shouldn’t come as any surprise to anyone that follows this site, or well, the Red Sox in general. I think fans of this team have a real love-hate relationship with Matt Barnes and I’m one of them. When he’s clicking and firing on all cylinders, as he was during the early parts of 2019, I want him out there every night. But when he can get overworked or just doesn’t have it, which is a lot of the time, I want him far away from Fenway Park.
Barnes will be a free agent after next season and commands a $3.1M salary which will likely increase through arbitration ahead of 2021. I think the righty has tons of potential, but that can only get you so far when you’re outing tends to be more Jekyll than Hyde.
He tends to finish the area in the mid-3.00’s as far as his ERA is concerned and has a career 4.12. This is why his current 5.54 is alarming, throw in his near career-high 1.615 WHIP, and Barnes felt marked for a trade.
His salary isn’t too high to the point where teams would want to stay away and with a year of control left, it felt perfect for Bloom to package Barnes for another team. The reliever has a gnarly curveball and a heater that can touch 100mph, unfortunately, they’re neither pitch is the most reliable and can cause some traffic on the basepaths.
I really thought Chaim was going to find a new home for Barnes but it looks like we’re going to have to wait until Winter.
Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
This one should come at no surprise and it has nothing to do with the quality of Jackie Bradley Jr.’s play on the field or character off the field. Everything we know about the centerfielder as absolute gold and he’s one hell of a dude. As far as on the field is concerned, he’s one of the best defensive outfielders in the game today and is the proud owner of Gold Glove for his efforts. Yeah, we’d like to see his bat get hot and stay that way, or at least remain a little more consistent, but his glove is why he’s in the Majors.
The reason he’s on my list is more so based on the fact that the Red Sox seem like they’ve never really wanted him here. That may sound harsh but hear me out. Despite everything he’s done for this team and what he’s capable of, he’s constantly in trade rumors.
Like, every chance possible. This man has found himself in the center of every trade window whether it be at the deadline or in the offseason for the last handful of seasons. Why? Nobody knows! But it always feels like the Red Sox are trying to find him a new home.
It was a surprise to me when they tendered him a contract ahead of 2020, as once again this past winter, they were shopping him is reports are to be trusted. Hell, he even joked at the Winter Meetings that he’d already been traded nine or ten times during his time in Boston, so he’s used to the rumors. I feel that Chaim should’ve made the move finally and gotten a return for the soon to be free agent.
Jackie can finally test his worth on the market this winter and with an $11M salary going into 2020, it felt like the stars were aligning for Boston to move him. Oddly enough he’s still here and suiting up every night. Whether the plan has changed and he’s now being kept on to groom his future replacement in Jarren Duran, or the Sox just don’t have a long viewed plan for his future, JBJ is here to stay for another month.
Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez
I’m going to give you all a few moments to yell at your computers and possibly even throw something. Once you’re done getting your anger out at my suggestion of trading J.D. Martinez, hear me out. The slugger can opt-out of his current deal at the end of this season, giving him the free pass to leave and never look back. So with him possibly becoming a free agent, now was the time to help him on his way.
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I just want to say that I love me some J.D., not only is he a great clubhouse guy but he’s a strong mentor and one hell of a baseball player. But his age is getting up there and his days in the field are getting numbered. With the Universal DH likely staying beyond this season, his suitors just jumped to being the entire league. Though his deal in Boston pays him pretty damn well, with more options on the menu, why wouldn’t he look around?
This hasn’t quite been the best season for Martinez and you can see the frustration on his face each and every night. He’s someone who is more machine than man and is used to crushing baseballs without a second thought. Well, he hasn’t quite done that this year and owns a depressing .208/.299/.375/.674 line with just 3 homers and 15 RBI.
Add in the fact that the Red Sox let one of his best friends leave via free agency and shipped the other off the Hollywood, and 2020 has sucked big for the slugger. Despite the rough numbers his ceiling is still insanely high and he could always get things to click at a moment’s notice. If the right package was offered for Martinez then Chaim should’ve agreed to the terms.
dark. Next. Red Sox find value at the deadline
The only way I can see him not wanting to trade J.D. is if the DH gave a heads up that he was opting-in for 2021. He may want to stay in Boston as both the organization and city seem to be the first of his career to fully embrace him. He’s become like a second hitting coach to numerous players on the team even if he isn’t mashing himself. If Boston has the confidence he’s staying then not trading him makes sense, but if there’s even a shadow of a doubt, then he needed to be moved.