The Boston Red Sox handled business during their weekend series against the Washington Nationals.
I don’t want to start negatively before giving what will be an inherently positive opinion… but that’s no small feat considering how ugly things have gotten at different points for this franchise in recent seasons.
Boston had zero reason not to absolutely throttle Washington, and did exactly that across a easy, breezy three-game sweep that produced some serious optimism. Walker Buehler had one of his best starts of the season, turning things around after a brutal stretch. Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela continued to tear the cover off the ball, establishing themselves as mainstays in the lineup. Rob Refsnyder and Romy González continued to absolutely mash against left-handed pitching.
It’s the exact kind of performance the organization was looking for… sooooooo what’s next?
Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora have all stated they intend on being buyers before the deadline, so it’s time to start buying, like.. right now.
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The Red Sox have roughly three weeks before the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline (July 31 at 6 p.m. ET), but it would be absolutely ridiculous if the club doesn’t start wheelin’ and dealin’ before that date creeps too close. Boston is about to host one of the worst teams in baseball — the Colorado Rockies — and a surging division rival — the Tampa Bay Rays — prior to the All-Star break between July 14 and 17.
It’s going to get serious after that, though.
The Red Sox then face the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-series stretch that will serve as the make-or-break point in their season — and they’ll all come before the deadline.
Would you rather add reinforcements before that stretch, wait to potentially fall out of contention or — in the worst possible outcome — be left scrambling for scraps in the final days leading into August?
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I don’t know, it sounds like an easy choice to me.
“Keagan, they won’t be a serious contender no matter what they do, so why even bother? I’d start selling off pieces.”
I hear you, brother. But what if I told you they can do both? If you’re able to make additions before the All-Star break — beyond the likes of Alex Bregman, Masataka Yoshida and Hunter Dobbins — you open up all sorts of options prior to the deadline.
Boston can add a first baseman (Carlos Santana, Ryan O’Hearn, Josh Naylor), another middle-of-the rotation starter (Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Mike Soroka, Jeffrey Springs) and bullpen depth (Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Jake Bird), stink, and then trade off its assets all within a month.
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Why not at least give yourself that option?
I’d probably (no, definitely) be singing a different tune if things had gone differently this weekend in Washington D.C., but they didn’t, which is an example that this team is at least slightly more serious than previous iterations.
It’s time to get on the phones, Craig. Your team deserves it.