MLB trade deadline: Red Sox unlikely to be "pure sellers"
BOSTON -- Despite going 8-19 in the month of July and 3-7 after the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox are unlikely to throw in the towel on the season. That is, at least, the expectation in the baseball world ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Red Sox are not "likely to be pure sellers." The Red Sox "will be reluctant to concede when their playoff odds are hovering around 20 percent" and "will want to bounce back quickly in 2023," according to Rosenthal.
"Thus," Rosenthal wrote, "the Red Sox are seeking major leaguers in return for rentals such as designated hitter J.D. Martinez and catcher Christian Vazquez."
Both Martinez and Vazquez are in the final years of their deals, so the Red Sox may look to move one or both players in order to try to improve the team in the future.
The Red Sox currently sit at 51-52, in last place in the AL East. But they're still technically alive in the wild card race, sitting 3.5 games out of the third and final spot in the American League. It figures to be a five-team fight for that one spot, and early indications suggest the Red Sox aren't willing to concede just yet.
