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The Boston Red Sox have been the hottest team in baseball since the end of June. The season appeared to be going down the drain earlier that month, and they found themselves fairly buried in last place in the American League East after getting swept at home by the Miami Marlins.
That series turned out to be a wake-up call for Alex Cora's team. As they head into a weekend series on the road against the San Francisco Giants, the Red Sox have won 15 of their last 20 games. They are no longer in last place, and they are just 1 1/2 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League.
They are trying to chase down the Toronto Blue Jays, and it's not inconceivable that they could bypass the Houston Astros or Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox are also 7 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles, and while it would not be impossible to catch the Birds, it is quite unlikely.
The season that looked lost at several points this year now appears to be one that could be at least somewhat successful. The Red Sox should definitely not be sellers at the trade deadline and should consider making a few sharp buys.
However, the Red Sox will be getting back several key players from the injured list shortly. Those players include shortstop Trevor Story and pitchers Chris Sale and Tanner Houck. As a result, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom should be judicious concerning the players he brings into the fold.
In this piece, we look at 2 players the Red Sox should stay away from.
Middle infield problems
The Red Sox have struggled with their middle infield positions throughout the season. They had Kike Hernandez playing shortstop throughout much of the first half of the season, and he made frequent errors and was ultimately replaced.
Hernandez was recently traded back to the Los Angeles Dodgers because he was struggling in all areas of the game. Yu Chang has recently been playing shortstop after returning from an injury. He is certainly a better alternative at the position than Hernandez was, but he is a flawed player who struggles with the bat and will also make occasional errors.
Story is currently working a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester, and he could be returning to the Red Sox within the next week. There are no guarantees that Story will play at an optimum level when he returns — or that he will stay healthy — but it is worth giving him a chance to play regularly.
Shortstop Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox
The Red Sox do not have to make a desperation move and make a play for Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are in the middle of a brutal season and are in the sell mode, but Anderson is not the right player for the Red Sox.
It seems clear that Anderson is not happy with the White Sox this year, and he has also been enduring a difficult year. Anderson is slashing .241/.282/.282 and that is just not acceptable. He has picked it up recently and a trade to a team that has a chance to play in the postseason could lead to an even greater upgrade, but it would be a gamble at this point.
Anderson has not hit a single home run this season and he has just 18 RBI. He has also made some uncharacteristic errors at the shortstop position.
The Red Sox need to stay away from him.
Pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
The former Red Sox pitcher was considered one of the most talented hurlers in the Boston rotation for multiple years. However, his fellow pitchers often had to talk him up and help him gain his self-confidence.
The other pitchers on the Boston staff believed in his talent and the stuff he had, but it seemed like the left-handed Rodriguez did not believe in himself.
He signed a free-agent contract with the Tigers prior to the 2022 season, and that decision seemed very curious. Why would an established pitcher want to sign with a struggling team that had little chance to make the playoffs? Perhaps because he knew the pressure would not be as great as it was with a contender.
Rodriguez struggled in his first season with the Tigers, making only 17 starts while recording a 5-5 record with a 4.05 earned run average. He has been better this season, as he has a 6-5 record, a 2.95 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 88.0 innings.
Nevertheless, the ship on Rodriguez has sailed, and he would not be a dependable asset at this point.
