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The Boston Red Sox were expected to be one of the best teams in baseball this season, but they haven't met expectations yet. From injuries to mind-boggling trades, this is not the season that Red Sox fans have hoped for. However, it is far from over, and the Red Sox are in a fine spot right now. If the season ended today, Boston would be in the playoffs. If the team wants to stay in the hunt, they might need to add to their roster at the trade deadline.
ESPN's Jeff Passan believes that the Red Sox need to improve their bullpen at the trade deadline. Aroldis Chapman has been phenomenal this season, but outside of him, Boston has struggled when it comes to relief pitching. Passan is looking at a potential trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to fix things up.
“Red Sox relievers walk too many hitters and don't strike out enough,” Passan said. “Take away Aroldis Chapman — the best reliever in the AL this season — and the Red Sox have a middle-of-the-pack bullpen. Getting [Ryan] Helsley from St. Louis would give Boston arguably the top setup-closer combination in baseball and go a long way toward supporting a rotation that has been among the game's best over the past month.”
The Red Sox are trending in the right direction after a shaky start, and a trade like this could be the thing that puts the team over the top. Ryan Helsley is having an outstanding season with the Cardinals, and he would make this Boston bullpen stronger.
“Boston has the makings of a very good team in the second half,” Passan continued. “Alex Bregman will return soon. Roman Anthony has an OPS of nearly 1.000 over his past 10 games. Ceddanne Rafaela is one of the best center fielders in baseball. Carlos Narváez is a gem. Wilyer Abreu, Trevor Story, even Abraham Toro — everyone is contributing. A reliever or two and another starter would make the Red Sox the sort of contender they envisioned being at the beginning of the season.”
Right now, the Red Sox are in fourth place in the AL East with a 49-45 record, but they are only 5.5 games out of first place. Boston is tied for the third Wild Card Spot in tbe American League. If the season ended today, the AL East would get four teams in the playoffs. This division is loaded, and the Red Sox are hanging around. We'll see if the Red Sox decide to make a trade for Ryan Helsley or a similar relief pitcher.
