Red Sox’s Sam Kennedy Announces Team Has ‘Green Light’ to Be Buyers at Trade Deadline

“Absolutely,” said Kennedy (WEEI 97.3 FM). “We have the ability to do that in terms of, you know, a blessing from ownership, and fulfilling our goal of becoming a postseason team. That said, we have to start playing better baseball on a more consistent basis."

Although the Red Sox have the front office's support, Kennedy didn't mince words about the team's recent inconsistencies.

Over the last 20 games, the Red Sox have won six straight and lost six straight, and gone 5-3 over the other eight games.

“I mean, when we're playing sloppy defensively, when we're not running the bases as well, when the bullpen’s struggling, it's really hard to keep up in the American League East," Kennedy said. "So we've got to play better baseball and prove to ourselves over these next seven series that this is a team that can do what we think we can do."

The AL East is a stacked division with three teams within a half game of each other sitting 10 games over .500. The Red Sox have three series before the All-Star break, including two against the two worst teams in the National League and a four-game series to end the first half against the Tampa Bay Rays, who sit above them in their division.

The Red Sox need a strong finish before the All-Star break to put themselves in a position to buy at the deadline and make a run in the second half.

“I mean, we were very aggressive this offseason. We had what we thought was a really great offseason in terms of the additions and the extensions - with Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman and Aroldis Chapman. We just - for a lot of reasons, we've been a .500 or below .500 team. That's not what we're looking for here. So to answer your question - yes, we do have the ability to go out and improve the team," Kennedy said. "But we also have to play better baseball, to put ourselves in a position where the postseason is realistic, and we gotta get going.”

Boston has the green light to acquire the talent they need to make a second-half run, but the production and consistency on the field has to improve. The Red Sox play next on July 4, when they open a three-game set with the Washington Nationals.