Red Sox Trade Rumors: More Important To Add Slugger Or Starting Pitcher?
Craig Breslow wants to trade for a slugging first baseman and a starting pitcher ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline. But if the Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer can’t make both happen, which one takes priority?
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel updated on Monday their list of the top 50 trade prospects. It links the Red Sox to many of the top starters on the market:
4. Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins: 50% chance of trade
8. Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals: 15% chance of trade
11. Mitch Keller, Pittsburg Pirates: 50% chance of trade
13. Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks: 70% chance of trade
17. Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays: 25% chance of trade
18. Edward Cabrera, Marlins: 30% chance of trade
The updated top 50 list also connects Boston to some of the biggest bats on the market:
14. Josh Naylor, Diamondbacks: 70% chance of trade
15. Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles: 85% chance of trade
Clearly there are more pitchers than sluggers on the trade market. But most, if not all contenders are shopping for arms. That will no doubt drive up the cost on what are, for the most part, rather pedestrian pitchers.
That said, you can never have enough pitching. The Red Sox are living through that right now. Hunter Dobbins is out for the season with a torn ACL and Tanner Houck is back on the injured list. The deeper you go into the season, the more wear and tear pitchers endure, making them more susceptible to breaking down.
Sure, the Red Sox are missing Triston Casas at first base. But so far, the Romy Gonzalez/Abraham Toro platoon are holding down the fort. Plus top prospect Kristian Campbell is getting reps at first base at Triple-A Worcester. Heck, even outfielder Masataka Yoshida gave first base a look.
Point is, manager Alex Cora has several options to mix and match at first base. But there are only so many quality starting pitchers currently in the Red Sox organization. And how many of them would you trust in a playoff game?
If the Red Sox are all-in on this season, then starting pitching must be Breslow’s top priority as the trade deadline approaches.