Newsflash: David Ortiz hasn't been very good this season. ESPN's Buster Olney thinks the Sox could make a trade for a new designated hitter if Ortiz continues to falter:
The Red Sox are not looking for a hitter yet, but at some point, Boston is going to need some offensive production from David Ortiz. The Red Sox could live with him if he were hitting .250 or .260 with some power, but so far, he's been nothing short of awful. Boston ranks dead last in OPS among designated hitters in the majors, and of course, Boston is the only team that has not gotten a single home run from the DH spot.
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Ortiz will be back in the lineup today, when the Red Sox begin a series against the Blue Jays, and we don't yet know if Terry Francona is going to place him in a lower spot in the lineup. If Ortiz doesn't start hitting soon, the Red Sox will need to look for an alternative, using their surplus of pitching to try to make a deal for some talented young hitter, like a Matt LaPorta of the Indians.
Matt LaPorta, huh? You mean, the guy the Red Sox drafted in 2006 but couldn't sign? Yeah, that guy. While it still hurts to think we couldn't sign this guy three years ago, I don't think he's our designated hitter answer right now. If he replaced Ortiz, I don't think he'd put up much better numbers this year.
It still amazes me that the Red Sox continue to win games when their No. 3 hitter and DH is batting .208 with zero home runs. I guess we have to thank Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and J.D. Drew for that (Drew has the third-best OPS on the team, folks).
Poll question: should the Red Sox made a trade at some point before the deadline for a new designated hitter?