The Boston Red Sox provided an illusion during the first 6 weeks of the season when they got off to a 21-14 start and looked as though they might be prime contenders for a Wild Card spot in the American League.

The Red Sox were hitting the ball quite well and were scoring enough runs on a regular basis to overcome shoddy starting pitching. Many observers who followed the team did not expect the winning ways to continue because of that pitching.

Hitting fades, pitching improves

But as the season rolled into May and June, the Red Sox went through an interesting metamorphosis. The hitting faded to a large degree, as superstar Rafael Devers went through a power slump for several weeks and many of his teammates followed his example. Clutch hitting disappeared and the Red Sox stopped battering opposing pitching staffs.

As the hitting disappeared, the starting pitching started to get much better. The most notable performer was Chris Sale, who was overcoming several seasons with injuries to re-emerge as a stopper.

The angular left hander regained the sharp break on his slider and the velocity on his fastball. Sale made multiple excellent starts and appeared to be well on his way to becoming a high-level American League pitcher once again.

And then another cruel injury hit in the form of left shoulder inflammation and he is currently on the 60-day injured list, meaning he will be out until August at the earliest.

But even with that injury, the starting pitching has gotten a boost from James Paxton, Garrett Whitlock,  Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck. All of those pitchers have met or exceeded expectations in recent weeks, and that has been a positive.

But the hitting has stopped and the defense is among the worst in the American League. The Red Sox have fallen below the .500 mark and they are in last place in the American League East. They seem destined to finish the season in the cellar once again.

They have valuable players who could be traded, and they need to consider themselves sellers as the August 1 trade deadline approaches

Justin Turner

The Red Sox signed Turner in the offseason after his stellar run with the Dodgers and they have been very lucky to have him.

Turner had been penciled in as the team's designated hitter after his signing, with the idea that he could fill in for Devers at 3rd base whenever the left-handed masher needed some relief.

Turner has also filled in at 1st base, even if that has never been his regular position. The Red Sox have employed rookie Triston Casas at that position, and while the organization looks at Casas as one of the team's future stars, he has been awful.

Casas is a disaster in the field, strikes out far too often, lacks aggressiveness in the batter's box and has not demonstrated anywhere near enough power.

Manager Alex Cora has said that Casas will no longer be the team's regular 1st baseman and that Turner will replace him as the starter on a regular basis.

Turner is the kind of player who can help any contender turn into a legitimate playoff team in the second half of the season.

He is a 38-year-old who still plays the game with fire, professionalism and effectiveness. Turner has a slash line of .272/.352/.420 with 8 home runs and 30 runs batted in. Those numbers are trending in the right direction, as he performed well in Boston's visit to Yankee Stadium in June, and he appears to be getting more comfortable with the Red Sox and his American League environment.

Since the Red Sox are going nowhere this season, they need to trade him and get some decent prospects in return.

Kenley Jansen

The Red Sox have shown a tendency to fill their roster with former Dodgers, and that includes Jansen.

He has been one of the game's top closers throughout his career, but there was some downturn in the last couple of seasons. Since the Red Sox did not have a legitimate closer, they were quite willing to bring Jansen on board and give him the job.

He has been a positive addition to the bullpen, recording his 400th career save earlier in the season. He has had a couple of meltdowns — in back-to-back games against the St. Louis Cardinals — but he has demonstrated a better-than-advertised fastball and his slider has been effective.

Veteran closers can be major assets to contending teams. Jansen would bring value to any team that acquired him because he is not going to get anxious in the big moments. He has been there before, and that's what makes him a valuable trade asset.