Roche: Are Red Sox Buyers Or Sellers At The Deadline?
BOSTON (CBS) - Are the Boston Red Sox buyers or sellers?
It's the question on the mind of every Red Sox fan out there as the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaches.
My answer? Buyers -- but with a twist.
As this Red Sox team sits around the .500 mark it's obvious they are just not that good. They are what they are, as a great NFL coach used to mutter around these parts.
Can they still make a run and get into the postseason? Yep. And, you can tell me until you're blue in the face that even if they sneak in as a Wild Card team they have no shot. I don't care because if they get in, they do have a chance. Granted, it's a lot tougher to make that run with the new playoff format, but it can happen. (And, by the way, I don't like the new playoff format. Baseball shouldn't have anything less than a best-of-five series. But, we'll save that or another day).
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
So, if I was Ben Cherington here's how I would approach this...
I'd try to acquire a starting pitcher who can help this team -- not just two months, but for the future too. Matt Garza, Josh Johnson, Zack Greinke, etc. Guys that will stay here or you can turn around and trade down the road.
Why?
For one, you can't have enough starting pitching, as we've seen time and time again. Load up.
And two, you can't trade Josh Beckett or Jon Lester right now. You'll get very little in return and end up paying a huge portion of their contracts. Why give them to a Pittsburgh or another team unless you pry away a prized prospect? If you decide that one or both don't fit into your future then trade them in the off-season when you might be able to get something in return.
Read: Marlins Trading Hanley Ramirez To Dodgers
You can also trade Jacoby Ellsbury or Carl Crawford in the offseason if you want to reshape and retool your roster or system.
I'm glad the Sox have Cherington in charge right now. He will not panic and will do what's best for the organization for both now and the long haul.
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So, how about this next season?
Crawford LF
Pedroia 2b
Gonzalez, 1b
Ortiz, DH
Ross, RF
Middlebrooks, 3b
Salty/Lavarnway C
Aviles/Iglesias SS
Jackie Bradley CF
Lester
Buchholz
Josh Johnson
Doubront
5th starter
Now, if you can move Crawford then you do it and try to keep Ellsbury, but that may be impossible without having to pay a majority of the contract.
So there you have it. That's just one man's opinion and it should be fun to watch this unfold over the next week, months, and year.
Enjoy the ride.
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on twitter @RochieWBZ
