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The Red Sox finally made the trade for a third baseman everyone’s been waiting for over the last few months, acquiring Eduardo Nunez from the Giants. There are some conflicting opinions on this deal, and it seems as if the biggest criticism of the trade is that it will not have a big enough impact on the offense. That may be true — unless he is on an extreme hot streak Nunez is more of a league-average hitter who adds extra value with his legs — but he’s also an undeniable upgrade over what they’ve gotten from third base and the bench this year.
Despite that, it’s understandable that many people are looking for more. The Red Sox offense has been frustrating more often than not in 2017, and first base in particular has been tough to watch of late. If the team were to add another bat, it would seem probable that this is the position to which they’d add. Don’t get your hopes up, though. It appears the Red Sox will not be adding any more to their lineup.
Source: Red Sox content with Nunez as the bat they needed. Counting on existing players to collectively hit. Attention now on reliever.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 26, 2017
Although this is certainly going to be disappointing to many, it’s understandable that they feel they can rely on in-house options. There are so many struggling hitters in their lineup right now that it’s hard not to see anyone turning it around. If Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi all hit like they were expected to coming into the year, that alone would be a major upgrade. That doesn’t even count improvements and more consistency from players like Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland.
Whereas they won’t be going after bats, don’t expect the Red Sox to stay quiet for the deadline. At this point, it would be shocking if they didn’t add another arm to the back of their bullpen. My heart is still set on Justin Wilson of the Tigers, and reports say they are indeed looking at him. Another option is Addison Reed, although some are worried about his workload and whether or not he’ll be able to make it through the rest of the year. One name that won’t be available is Pat Neshek, who was sent to Colorado Wednesday night. There’s never any shortage of relievers on the trade market, and that’s where you should have your attention focused over the next five days.