With enough of the season already complete enough to show which teams are and aren’t contenders, baseball’s trade deadline of July 31 has begun to cement itself as a popular topic of discussion across the MLB. Already, buzz has circulated about who will be on the move and what various contenders will be looking for in order to bolster their rosters. While the Boston Red Sox––who are clear contenders in a tough divisional race––look like the classic example of a deadline buyer, here’s a warning to Red Sox fans: Don’t get excited about the trade deadline.
Under the leadership of Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox have never been hesitant to strike a blockbuster trade and put prospect capital on the line for big-name acquisitions. However, it is that very tendency which limits the Sox’s trade capital this year. After acquiring several big-name players––including Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel––in which Boston gave up large numbers of premium prospects, the Red Sox have basically nothing left to offer. With only one prospect left in the top 100, any major trade target may prove impossible to acquire given that other teams simply have better prospect capital to offer. Since young, developing talent is critical to maintain on any MLB team, giving up valuable pieces in any farm system is typically inadvisable, even if it’s feasible.
The Red Sox farm system is also depleted because of recent promotions. The Red Sox have a young core that is largely home grown, featuring names like Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and Rafael Devers––all of whom were premium prospects who evolved into young stars, now acting as important pieces to a competitive Red Sox team. However, these promotions also weakened the farm system. In essence, the Red Sox are victims of their own success. They have both developed young players and shipped them out in return for productive stars like Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel; these moves have resulted in a good team with few holes, but it also means that the farm system is stripped.
What does this mean for the Red Sox? Luckily, Boston is already well situated for a division slugfest with the New York Yankees, as well as a deep playoff run in the fall. However, they must continue to make the best out of their current roster, especially given that the Yankees have seemingly abundant prospect capital to make blockbuster trades with. Boston will likely add around the margins and monitor the waiver wire, but expect an uncharacteristically quiet trade deadline from the Dombrowski front office in the coming month.
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