The Boston Red Sox should be better after trading for infielder Curtis Mead.
It’s going to take more than that if they want to contend for the American League, though…
Mead was certainly worth the price they paid in order to obtain his services, as his presence not only ensures there will be some added pop to the lineup but puts others in a position to succeed. If you’re not convinced that he was worth giving up on starting pitcher Connelly Early, perhaps heed the words of chief baseball officer Craig
Breslow on Sunday.
“I’ve tried to shift our goal… not to win the trade but to make our major league team better.”
Mead makes them better, but not as good as they’ll need to be to contend — which is why it is imperative that they continue both adding around the margins and taking swings at moves that can make them better both now and in the future.
What? Who? How?
It’s a losing proposition to identify individual players, but there are certainly some obvious positions to target — catcher, shortstop, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher.
The Red Sox have spent the last two years looking for that franchise cornerstone behind the plate, briefly being convinced by Carlos Narváez but presumably coming to the same conclusion that they previously came to with Connor Wong. Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer have been soured on by just about everyone who gives a rat’s ass about the organization, with the majority of those same folks already turning their attention toward Franklin Arias — though he won’t probably make a difference at the big league level any time soon. Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett are approaching career-highs in innings pitched, so it would be nice to find someone who can eat innings in order to keep them kinda/sorta fresh for the stretch run.
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams and Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman would represent those “swings” mentioned earlier, though obtaining their services would require giving up one of your stud young pitchers and/or several of your top prospects.
Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto and Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson are slightly cheaper options.
San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames and Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers are under-the-radar options.
I’d like to just see them continue the trend of trading from talent surpluses (outfield and pitching) to make upgrades that will help them for year’s to come (catcher and shortstop). If they don’t, their ceiling will remain relatively unimpressive.
