The Red Sox made their own deadline deals
Kennedy also adamantly disagreed with the perception that the Red Sox stood pat at the deadline. Boston added a big bat of their own in Kyle Schwarber, who made his first All-Star appearance this season by hitting .253/.340/.570 with 25 home runs for the Washington Nationals.
Only in Boston can fans be this furious that their team only traded for one All-Star.
In fairness, the backlash against the team’s strategy is focused primarily on the Red Sox failing to address their biggest concern at first base. They intend to give Schwarber a shot at fielding the position despite that he has only one appearance at first base in his career. Schwarber is currently sidelined by a hamstring injury and while he’s expected to return soon, his delayed addition to the lineup allows concerns about his ability to handle first base to linger. Meanwhile, the Yankees have added players who are paying immediate dividends.
While Schwarber might prove to be a questionable fit defensively, there’s no doubt that he can contribute in other ways and Kennedy wasn’t shy about expressing his excitement about what he brings to this team.
"“He’s a guy who has been in the postseason, who has actually come back from injury. Everybody knows what he did in 2016,” Kennedy said, referencing Schwarber’s return from a significant knee injury with the Cubs. “So beyond that, we needed to add some left-handed bat to the lineup. From all of our work, intel, and research, he is an incredible force in that clubhouse. The positivity. Leadership. Setting the right example. We’re really excited to add the caliber of person, someone who had that positivity and is a World Series champion to this club.”"
The Red Sox also traded for Hansel Robles and Austin Davis to bolster the bullpen, although a pair of relievers with ERA’s hovering near 5.00 isn’t going to get the fan base fired up. They weren’t flashy moves but these arms can be useful.
Robles has spent time with three different teams, each of which thought highly enough of him to give him save opportunities. He converted 10 of 12 save chances for the Minnesota Twins this season. Boston obviously won’t use him in that capacity but he’s battle tested in high-leverage situations.
Davis provides the bullpen with another lefty that they desperately needed with Darwinzon Hernandez sidelined by an oblique injury. Ignore the bloated ERA from Davis. He’s holding left-handed hitters to a .095 batting average and .534 OPS this season. He’ll serve a purpose for this bullpen.