Red Sox’s trade deadline plan after standings surge

The Boston Red Sox have surged up the American League Wild Card standings. Their ten-game winning streak heading into the All-Star Break earned them a Wild Card spot, and they have not lost it yet. Despite trading away Rafael Devers, they could be buyers at the MLB trade deadline. The Red Sox are looking for a pitcher at the trade deadline, but ESPN’s Jesse Rogers says they don’t want to dip into their outfield surplus to do it.

“With that group helping the Red Sox hold an American League wild-card spot, the front office is likely to add pitching, according to sources familiar with their situation, while retaining the abundance of outfielders unless the club is blown away with an offer in the next 10 days,” Rogers wrote.

The Red Sox already made one big pitching trade recently. They picked up Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in an offseason blockbuster. But their starting pitching has been dismal behind Crochet. Craig Breslow won’t be the only GM looking for a playoff-caliber starter, but he is not willing to use his trump card.

The Red Sox have a surplus in the outfield that could change the MLB trade deadline. With top-notch contenders like the San Diego Padres needing an outfielder, they could swing a deal for a big-name pitcher by floating a name like Jarren Duran. But Breslow does not want to do that, which is understandable considering the inexperience of their outfield.

The Red Sox could use a bullpen arm as well to pair with Aroldis Chapman on the backend. Liam Hedriks has struggled with injuries in recent years, and their other arms have limited postseason experience. If they want two arms without giving up an MLB outfielder, the Pittsburgh Pirates should be their first call. They won’t want to take an expensive player for Mitch Keller and Dennis Santana.