The Boston Red Sox just swept the New York Yankees in a four-game series. That sentence alone is enough to make people in the AL East pay attention. But here’s where it gets weird: the Red Sox are still sitting in last place in the division. They’re 4.5 games back in the Wild Card race. That’s not nothing. That’s also not a lot.
On Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic went on “Foul Territory” and laid out what he thinks the Red Sox need to do if they want to turn this hot weekend into something that lasts through October. His answer was pretty straightforward: get another bat. Specifically, get a versatile infielder who can hit.
“Now, the Red Sox are really interesting in the American League,” Rosenthal said. “Because they’re outside of the top teams, even that I mentioned. They’re 4.5 games back in the Wild Card. But we saw this weekend what they can do when they pitch. Now, if they get another bat, and maybe it’s somebody who can be just kind of a solid guy in the infield, pretty much anywhere, then they maybe they get interesting. Maybe they go on a run.”
It’s not a complicated formula. Boston scored enough runs against New York, sure. But the pitching was the story. The rotation held up. The bullpen didn’t implode. If the front office adds something to the lineup — someone who can play second, third, shortstop, whatever — the picture changes. Especially in a Wild Card race that Rosenthal thinks will come down to which teams make the smartest moves before the August 3 trade deadline.
Schedule sets up nicely for a run
Rosenthal also pointed out something that doesn’t require much imagination: the Red Sox schedule over the next few weeks is soft. Like, really soft. They’ve got the Nationals, the Angels, and the Mets coming up in three of their next four series. That’s three teams that aren’t exactly striking fear into anyone this season. If Boston can stack wins, they’re in a position to buy at the deadline instead of sell.
The timing matters. A team that’s 4.5 back with a winnable stretch of games can either close the gap or let it slip. The Red Sox just showed they can beat a good team. Now they need to beat the bad ones too.
There’s also the health factor. Boston has 11 players on the injured list. Roman Anthony just got moved to the 60-day IL. That hurts. Getting some of those guys back would help as much as any trade. But Rosenthal’s point is about adding, not waiting.
The Red Sox play the Nationals at home Monday night. If they win, that’s five in a row. The conversation gets louder. The phone calls get more interesting. And suddenly a team that was written off two weeks ago is at the center of trade deadline talk.
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