Red Sox do nothing significant on another disappointing trade deadline day

BOSTON -- The Red Sox have been playing some really good baseball for the last six weeks, but they still clearly could have used some outside help -- mainly in the starting rotation -- ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. Alas, that help will not be coming.

While other teams around them in the standings were plenty active, Chaim Bloom and the Boston front office mostly stood pat at Tuesday's trade deadline. They picked up light-hitting infielder Luis Urias well after the buzzer had sounded, but that isn't a move that will get anyone ramped up for the final stretch of the season.

"I think we were on the phone constantly today and throughout a lot of yesterday looking at all the possibilities," Bloom said after the buzzer sounded on the deadline.

But the Red Sox were just lookers and not really shoppers once again, which probably won't sit well with the guys in the clubhouse. Bloom referred to his team as "underdogs" but voiced confidence in the group.

"We're ready to roll with this group. We like where the arrow is pointing and hopefully we can do some special things the rest of the way, and certainly feel very confident that we'll be able to continue building on this next year and beyond," he said.  

Meanwhile, the three current AL Wild Card teams all made moves to help their cause. The Rays acquired a pair of pitchers from the Cubs, the Astros reunited with Justin Verlander, and the Blue Jays picked up shortstop Paul DeJong in the wake of Bo Bichette's injury on Monday night. Even the Yankees, sitting a game back of the Red Sox, added a righty reliever.

The Red Sox, currently 2.5 games back of Toronto in the Wild Card standings, did nothing to help their injury riddled rotation ahead of 6 p.m. deadline on Tuesday. It's not shocking, it's just .... disappointing.

Though currently riding a three-game losing streak, the Red Sox had been the hottest team in baseball throughout July. Rafael Devers and Alex Cora have been campaigning the front office to make a move for some outside help over the last few weeks. Those requests were denied.

Instead, the Red Sox will sell the team -- and fans -- on Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, returning to help the rotation. (And Trevor Story to add some more pop to the lineup). Those players should help, though all of them remaining healthy down the stretch seems like a risky gamble.

But after seeing the price tag to add players on Tuesday, it's a gamble that the Red Sox are going to take the rest of the season.

"We gotta do deals that make sense. We were engaged on a lot of different players, and just because someone would be a great addition it doesn't mean its a great trade," Bloom explained. "We didn't find those matches, and we do have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have."

Bloom did shut down the L.A. Dodgers when they inquired about lefty James Paxton on Tuesday, and the Chief Baseball Officer did make a few moves last week when he picked up righty reliever Mauricio Llovera from San Francisco and traded Enrique Hernandez to the Dodgers for a pair of minor league arms. But many were clamoring for someone to come in and make an impact at the major league level, mainly in Boston's depleted starting rotation. For the second straight year, the Red Sox passed on acquiring anyone that could potentially help them reach October.

To the surprise of many, the Red Sox remain in the playoff race with two months to go in the regular season. If the team wants to keep that going, they're going to have to do it themselves. 

The front office's deadline approach blew up in their faces last season, with the team immediately falling apart after Boston opted to sell more than they added. Now we'll wait to see if that happens for a second straight season.