3 Red Sox players who won't survive the trade deadline
Regardless of whether Boston buys or sells, these three players won't be on the team after the trade deadline
The Boston Red Sox find themselves in an interesting situation as the trade deadline approaches. Do they buy or do they sell?
The Red Sox sit at 52-47 on the season. They're 8.5 games back in the AL East but are just two games back of the third Wild Card spot. A postseason spot is within reach, but this is the same Red Sox team that took the momentum they had with strong play before the break and even after the break when they won a series against the Cubs, and threw that away by losing two of three against the lowly Oakland A's.
The Red Sox will be getting Trevor Story back soon, but is that enough of a reason for them to buy? Regardless of this team's direction in the next couple of weeks, it's hard to envision these three players playing any sort of role in Boston past the trade deadline.
1) Red Sox reliever Richard Bleier won't survive the trade deadline
After DFA'ing Matt Barnes this offseason, the Red Sox shipped him off to Miami in exchange for left-hander Richard Bleier. The 36-year-old had a strong track record of being a solid left-handed reliever in the bullpen including a fine year in 2022, but has really struggled as a member of the Red Sox.
Bleier has a 5.09 ERA in 21 appearances and 23 innings pitched. ERA's for relievers are often misleading, but Bleier has allowed runs in eight of his 21 outings. He's also allowed 60% of the runners he's inherited to score. That's not great.
Bleier has held left-handed hitters to a .234/.270/.335 slash line in his career. That's what has kept him in the majors. We knew he'd have a bit of a more difficult time with the three-batter rule, but he's struggled mightily against left-handed hitters this season. They have 13 hits in 34 at-bats (.382 average) with three home runs against Bleier this season. For reference, lefties had just seven home runs in 512 at-bats against him entering this season.
Bleier did miss nearly two months due to injury and has three scoreless innings, but it's just hard to envision this guy having a major role on the Red Sox regardless of their situation. He's not good enough to be a reliable arm if they're trying to win, and if they sell, what purpose does a 36-year-old on a one-year deal have? With all of the left-handers Boston has, Bleier isn't needed.
2) Red Sox infielder Yu Chang won't survive the trade deadline
The shortstop position has been a problem for the Red Sox all season long. Kiké Hernandez opened the season as the regular shortstop, replacing Xander Bogaerts, and was moved off of the position because of his ineffectiveness.
Pablo Reyes has gotten some playing time at shortstop and while he's hit for a high average, he has just a 90 WRC+ and is currently on the IL. Yu Chang is the shortstop now and he's slashing .164/.197/.397 with five home runs and 15 RBI in his 73 at-bats. Chang is a solid defender, but provides next to nothing offensively.
Offense isn't exactly Boston's problem, but you also can't run out a guy hitting well under .200 with a 50 WRC+ either. Trevor Story is coming back soon and can play shortstop. That should spell the end of the line for Chang.
The 27-year-old is out of options so he can't be sent down without going through waivers first. While I'm sure he'll clear, his spot on the 40-man is certainly in serious jeopardy.
If Boston is trying to compete, Chang isn't going to help them win. If they're sellers, you might as well see what a guy like David Hamilton can do. Chang isn't a part of the Red Sox future, so he won't have a spot here.
3) Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro won't survive the trade deadline
The Red Sox catching situation has been better than expected, but still nothing more than just average or even slightly below. Reese McGuire was playing pretty well but has been on the IL with an oblique strain. This forced Connor Wong, one of the pieces of the Mookie Betts deal, into a starting role.
Wong came in with relatively no expectations, but has done a very fine job as the starter for Boston. His 89 WRC+ is a decent mark for a catcher even if it's slightly below league average overall, and he's been rock solid defensively.
McGuire is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, and once that concludes, he'll return to the roster to at the very least platoon with Wong. The person who will lose the spot is current reserve catcher Jorge Alfaro.
Alfaro has had an interesting ride to his season. He began the year in the Red Sox organization playing in the minors, then opted out of his deal to sign with the Rockies. He had just five hits in 31 at-bats with Colorado, then signed back with Boston to replace the struggling Caleb Hamilton as the team's backup. He's played just five games with Boston and has two hits in 12 at-bats.
Alfaro doesn't have options, so he'll be DFA'd when McGuire returns and will presumably elect free agency to pursue a full-time role elsewhere.
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