The Boston Red Sox, as of Friday morning, are nine games below .500.
Before the season, fans would scoff at the thought of this, given the talent on their roster.
While many factors have contributed to this poor start, the offense is at the top of the list.
Despite sitting at the bottom of the American League East and near the bottom of the league, Boston is not entertaining the idea of selling players just yet.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Red Sox have been searching the trade market for a right-handed bat and are even willing to take on some salary.
Why Would the Boston Red Sox Do This?
Boston’s offense has been among the league’s worst the entire season. They are last in the AL in runs scored (243) and third-worst in the majors.
They also have slugged just 46 home runs, second-worst in all of baseball.
Boston’s power hitters have struggled this season. Willson Contreras and Jarren Duran are the only two players on the team with 10 or more home runs.
While the numbers may not show it, most of the team has struggled against left-handed pitching.
Even though the Red Sox cumulatively have done better against southpaws, their total production is top-heavy and held up by Contreras’ otherworldly stats.
Against left-handers, Contreras is batting .296/.433/.593 with four home runs. While Ceddanne Rafaela and even Wilyer Abreu have also been terrific against lefties, the rest of the team has struggled.
Players like Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have been below-average against lefties.
While there aren’t typically many players available at this point in the season, it’s telling that Boston’s president of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, is searching for upgrades already, despite being a last-place team.
What’s more surprising at this point is that Breslow is willing to take on salary from any addition.
Who Could Breslow Go After?
The Red Sox should be sellers at this point in the season. However, Breslow seems intent on singlehandedly turning this season around.
Given how tight the AL standings are currently, and with the Red Sox still just 3.5 games back in the Wild Card, there aren’t many sellers right now. Therefore, it’s way too early to tell who could be on the trade block.
The Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies or San Francisco Giants could be options as trade partners.
Angels Oswald Peraza and Jo Adell have each struggled against right-handers, but are mashing lefties. Adell has especially required a platoon situation, with a .562 OPS against right-handers and .894 OPS against left-handers.
However, it may not make sense to add Adell unless the Red Sox trade away Duran in a separate deal.
The Red Sox’s middle infield has struggled mightily against left-handers, so Peraza could be a good option for Boston.
While the Rockies don’t have much to give in their middle infield, Hunter Goodman is a controllable option for Boston that has been excellent against lefties.
Heliot Ramos for the Giants is also a cheap, controllable option if the Red Sox decide to move one of their outfielders.
While it’s unlikely a June trade comes to fruition, this report signals that the Red Sox still view themselves as a playoff team in a weak AL.
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