FanPost

FanPost Friday: We Should Make Another Move, But Not Of The Expensive Kind

Hey guys! I'll admit, I've been really busy for the past few weeks and that remains the case now, so I'll just cut to the chase.

The Red Sox lost a series to the Orioles this past weekend and I think that's when we started to have the dreaded feeling that we weren't capable of making the playoffs and these next few months would feel really "meh". But they've come back with a fantastic week, and so far in this tough 14-game stretch, they are 5-1 and have a chance at sweeping the Yankees tonight! They are finally starting to show consistency, and things are coming together, especially the starting pitching. I think that's enough where we are NO LONGER sellers, and we could still be buyers for one more piece. And I think we should be.

My take: We should trade for one more very solid 7th/8th inning arm to slot into the back-end of our bullpen with Barnes, Workman, Walden, Eovaldi (for now until he eases back into the rotation), and maybe Darwinzon.

I think the past few days have sort of highlighted an issue. Even when up 10-3 at one point Friday, and 9-3 yesterday, we still needed to use Workman because after Barnes, the next guy we brought on (Hembree who may still be hurt, and Eovaldi who is still rusty) gave up runs and made things interesting. I think if we can add another arm there, it'd help us big time. I also think while Eovaldi is considered our "closer" going forward, he'll ease back into the rotation or "super-relief" role over time. Workman is fine as our closer I think and he's proving he's capable. Darwinzon looks filthy, but we still need to see a few more outings before I deem him a solid 7th inning option (or our true 4th or 5th best relief option in the depth chart).

Now I know we'd all really love a true closer, and a great one. But the truth is, guys like Yates/Greene/Smith/Giles and others I think will just be too expensive. It wouldn't be worth gutting our farm for someone like that, and even then other teams could still be in position to outbid us in most cases. With that in mind, here is just a sample list of guys I think we can realistically target:

Giants: Tony Watson, Sam Dyson

Orioles: Mychal Givens

White Sox: Alex Colome

Blue Jays: Daniel Hudson

I know, none of these names might be the flashiest, but they could still help us in the 2nd half and hopefully October if we make it. They'd offer us another legit option in the late-innings to utilize, and some added depth there since we just can't use Barnes and Workman every single game. My personal favorite would be for Tony Watson, but it should be noted that no one knows if the Giants will be sellers/buyers, so that'll be worth monitoring in the coming days.

Another bonus is that guys like Watson, Givens and Colome offer legit closing experience if we don't have Barnes and/or Workman available for a certain game. Maybe they aren't as good as those other names I mentioned before (Yates, etc.), but they're still solid. And I mean, Colome might cost a bit more than the others, but otherwise I highly doubt any of these names will cost a ton (like a Duran/Casas/Mata/Dalbec/Chavis, etc. kind of prospect or player).

So yeah, that's what I'd do. Add one of these guys (or someone else similar) to our bullpen, hope the SP and offense can keep it going, and then make a run from here on out. Maybe I'm being a bit hyperbolic, but there does seem to be a little bit of 2004 vibes to this season (I was too young to remember that season, but others have told me of it). I'll always believe in this team until we're truly out and I think the front office will too.

Now would it surprise me if we stood pat? Not at all. But Dombrowski's recent comments + all these reports about us scouting makes me think that we are operating with the hopes of adding another reliever. It just remains to be seen who truly becomes available, what do certain teams decide (buy or sell), and what the asking price is for a lot of these lower-mid tier options. We know the higher tier options will cost a ton and are out of our price in all likelihood. With no August trading anymore, the final 24-48 hours before the deadline will be super hectic and teams may not even make any decisions about buying/selling until the final few hours.