The Boston Red Sox aren't one right-handed hitter away from being contenders this season (even though they are in the market for one, according to ESPN's Buster Olney). And the sooner they realize that, the better.
Boston is currently 29-42. It sits last place in the AL East (four games behind the fourth-place Baltimore Orioles) and is one of two teams in the majors that have yet to reach 30 wins (Colorado Rockies, 28-47).
The Red Sox are not a good team. Their offense has mostly been atrocious all season (particularly because of their lack of power), their pitching has been pretty solid but may be trending in the wrong direction (they have given up six or more runs in three of their last six games), and they are dealing with injuries to their top stars (Do you have that much confidence that Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet will suit up again this season? Because I don't).
Despite all of that, there is still this idea that they might actually look to be buyers this season. That should be completely tossed out the window now.
The Red Sox can't be buyers this season... they're not good enough to be
Even though Boston may have some options to upgrade its lineup, the team still won't be good enough to make some noise this season. They can add a prime Mookie Betts to the roster (too soon?), and they're still not going to be serious threats to win the World Series or even make the playoffs.
There are some bright spots in a mostly miserable season (Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran post-April, their pitching staff for the most part), but can you actually be a legitimate contender if these are your best players? Not even close.
Boston should just commit to punting this season, selling at the deadline, and shifting its focus to the future. The team does still have some exciting players worth developing for the rest of this season and beyond, and that should be their biggest priority right now.
The fact of the matter is that the Red Sox aren't just far removed from their 2018 World Series team or their 2021 ALCS team. They're far removed from the team that won a game against the New York Yankees in the Wild Card series last season. And one trade for a guy like Matt Chapman, Eugenio Suarez, or Isaac Paredes isn't going to change that.
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