The Red Sox are currently the hottest team in Major League Baseball, having won 15 of their last 20 games after sweeping the Atlanta Braves in a 2-game series. The Red Sox are still on the outside looking in as far as a playoff position is concerned, so there are no guarantees of what chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will do at the trade deadline.

But the Red Sox have been hitting the ball in their recent hot streak as well as they have all year. Superstar Rafael Devers is finding his stride after an inconsistent first half of the season. Justin Turner has made a sensational adjustment in his first year with the team as he been a consistent RBI force in the American League.

However, it is the play of two youngsters that appears to be driving the Red Sox in this recent hot streak. Jarren Duran has become one of the best leadoff hitters in either league, showing off his speed on the bases that allows him to stretch routine singles into extra base hits and striking fear into opposing defenses. Triston Casas has also caught fire over the last month, driving the ball for consistent power and making contact when he had been striking out earlier in the year.

The Red Sox are only 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot as they  prepare for a road trip that will take them to the West Coast to play the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners.

It seems far more likely that the Red Sox will go for it and try to acquire talent. In this piece, we look at the players that could go in a trade in order to bring more talent to Boston.

Bobby Dalbec

Dalbec was once in the same position as Casas, as he was the up and coming power prospect for the Red Sox. He appeared to be on the verge of making it with the Red Sox on at least a couple of occasions, but it appears that manager Alex Cora has no confidence in him even though Dalbec has been bashing the ball at the minor league level this season.

He has slashed .296/.402/.611 to go along with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs in 70 games at Triple-A Worcester and could appeal to a number of teams.

Dalbec does have major league credentials. He belted 25 home runs and drove in 78 runs in the 2021 season, but he slumped badly last year and those numbers dwindled to 12 homers and 39 RBI. He has only had a cup of coffee with the Red Sox this year.

Adam Duvall

Duvall started the season looking like he would have a chance to battle Devers as the team's Most Valuable Player this season. However, after a hot start in April, Duvall broke a bone in his wrist that caused him to miss significant time on the Injured List.

After returning, Duvall has struggled to regain his form. In truth, he has started to become more productive in recent games and he bashed a key home run in Wednesday night's win over the Braves. For the season, Duvall has slashed .259/.327/.524 while hitting 8 home runs and driving in 28 runs. He has played in just 41 of Boston's 102 games thus far.

Since the Red Sox have something of a glut in the outfield, they could trade a player like Duval for a pitcher or future prospects without hurting their lineup. The Dodgers appear to be a team that has interest in acquiring Duvall.

Returning players

The Red Sox are likely to be bolstered in the final 2 months of the season by the return of a number of high-end players.

The most important addition is likely to be the return of  power-hitting shortstop Trevor Story. The former Colorado Rockies star has not played a game this season as he recovers from elbow surgery, but he is currently in a rehab assignment with Worcester. The Red Sox have struggled with their play at shortstop this year, and a healthy Story would be a huge addition.

The other key players who are likely to return in the coming weeks include starting pitchers Chris Sale and Tanner Houck. Sale will likely begin a rehab assignment next week and could return from his shoulder injury shortly thereafter. Houck was hit in the face with a line drive in June and suffered facial fractures. He is also recovering and a return to the starting rotation or bullpen is likely.