The MLB Trade Deadline is starting to heat up after a slow start. We’ve recently seen the rival Tampa Bay Rays make a couple of moves, including trading for Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins and then trading Rich Hill to the New York Mets.
With less than a week until the deadline hits, the Boston Red Sox have continued to stand pat so far. However, things could change quickly depending on the status of Eduardo Rodriguez, who was forced out of last nights outing against the New York Yankees after just 1+ inning with migraine symptoms. Given the fact that Rodriguez missed all of last season due to complications from COVID-19, the Sox are understandably going to take things slow with Rodriguez these next few days.
Considering the Sox may have to put more emphasis on pitching at the deadline, they could turn to the Washington Nationals for some help. Despite winning the World Series in 2019, the Nationals have fallen apart, and find themselves likely to be sellers at the deadline considering they are seven games out of first place in the NL East.
Reports have recently come out that Washington will be listening to offers for “anyone not named Juan Soto”, which means that Boston should reach out the Nationals as soon as possible. With the Nationals looking like sellers, here are three players the Red Sox could target before the Trade Deadline approaches.
Boston Red Sox Trade Target No. 3: Brad Hand
After starting off his career as a starter, Brad Hand has quietly turned himself into one of the most consistent relivers in the MLB over his 11 year career. Whatever role he has found himself in in the bullpen, Hand has excelled. Much of his recent work has been as a closer, but Hand has proven to be effective whenever he’s called upon.
After three solid seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Hand signed with Washington this past offseason to help shore up the backend of their bullpen. Hand has lived up to his billing as one of the best closers in the game, as he’s posted a 2.63 ERA to go along with 20 saves so far on the season. Washington hasn’t won a ton of games, but typically when they have, Hand has been there to shut the door.
If the Sox are looking for bullpen help, there may not be a more reliable option than Hand. He has consistently been great in high leverage situations over the course of his career. Even if he wouldn’t close games in Boston, he could form a deadly trio with Matt Barnes and Adam Ottavino at the back of the bullpen.
Hand is 31 and playing on an expiring contract, so there’s good reason to believe Washington will look to pick something up for him over the next couple of days. Boston doesn’t have a ton of lefty relivers out of the bullpen, so adding Hand would also allow manager Alex Cora some more flexibility when picking his matchups late in games.
In terms of bullpen help, there aren’t going to be many better options than Hand. He won’t cost much more than a midlevel prospect or two, which the Sox can certainly offer. It’s felt like Boston has been an arm short in the pen all season, and Hand could be the solution to that problem.
Boston Red Sox Trade Target No. 2: Josh Bell
It’s been well established that the Red Sox weakest position this season has been first base, and it would be surprising if they didn’t attempt to address that area at the deadline. Josh Bell could be a cheaper option at the position who could come in and play in a platoon role with Bobby Dalbec, rather than just taking the position away from him.
To say Bell has had an interesting career would be an understatement. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, only to regress and have a miserable 2018 season. Then he bounced back with an All Star season in 2019, only to have a poor 2020 season afterwards. In his first season with Washington, Bell has seemingly found the norm, and is in the middle of a solid if unspectacular season.
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Bell is widely renowned as a power hitter rather than a contact hitter, especially after he only hit .226 last season. Bell has been a bit better this season hitting .248 along with 15 home runs, but he’s not necessarily the most consistent hitter in the world. He will go through prolonged cold stretches, but he can just as easily hit one out of the park too.
Bell also has the unique ability of being a switch hitter. Switch hitters have kind of disappeared over recent years, but having guys who can hit from both sides of the plate can be a huge help when coming up with lineups. This could allow for Bell to settle into a more platoon type role with Dalbec, somewhat similar to Steve Pearce and Mitch Moreland back in 2018.
Bell will be 29 by the seasons end, but he has another year of team control after this one. He could be a solid option if Boston wants to ease Dalbec into a starting role given his struggles this season. So whereas other options may just be rentals, Bell offers some long-term potential too.
Bell is one of the more interesting options available on the market right now. He has had stretches where he looks like the best hitter on the planet, and others where he looks unplayable. With a guy like that currently holding down the fort at first for the Boston Red Sox, pairing him up with Bell may not be a bad idea after all.
Boston Red Sox Trade Target No. 1: Max Scherzer
You had to know this one was coming. Max Scherzer‘s name has been getting thrown around in trade rumors since the start of the season due to his contract being set to expire this offseason, and with Washington seemingly out of the playoff race, Scherzer is likely to be moved before July 30th.
Scherzer has been one of the best pitchers in the league for the past decade, making eight All-Star appearences and winning the Cy Young Award three times over his career. It looked like Scherzer was beginning to decline last season, but he has bounced back this season and silenced his critics.
Scherzer has been his typical dominant self this season, posting a 7-4 record with a 2.83 ERA while striking out 142 batters in the process. Those numbers were good enough to help Scherzer earn his eighth All-Star appearance, and solidify his status as one of the top pitchers in the league.
Of course, there are some concerns that would come with trading for Scherzer. He turns 37 in just three days, and is set to be a free agent this upcoming offseason. There’s no guarantee he would re-sign, and even if he did, how much longer will he play for?
But it is clear as day that Scherzer is the best available starter on the market, and if the Sox want to make a big splash at the deadline, Scherzer is their guy. With Eduardo Rodriguez’s health issues popping up again, the Sox could certainly use some more depth in the rotation. Who better to fix that problem than Scherzer?
There’s admittedly a ton of risk involved with a potential move for Scherzer, but he gives the Boston Red Sox a de facto ace heading into the final two months of the season. There’s no guarantee Chris Sale will return and be the Chris Sale of old, so making a move for a pitcher who has proven to be an ace so far this season would be the safer route. Boston has a number of potential options at the deadline, but adding Scherzer would be the top move to put this team closer to the World Series.