At one point during the early stages of the 2022 season, it seemed as if the Boston Red Sox were going to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline later this year. But after their recent turnaround in the AL East and as they currently hold the second wild-card spot in the American League, Boston may end up emerging as aggressive buyers come Aug. 2.

For Red Sox general manager Brian O'Halloran, he is already looking ahead to the trade deadline. As he noted during an appearance on WEEI's “The Greg Hill Show,” he is eyeing the possibility of bolstering the team’s bullpen depth.

“Yeah, that is certainly a possibility,” O'Halloran said. “When you talk to contending teams every year around the trade deadline, almost all of them want to improve their bullpen. So, it's an area that you can almost always improve.

“We have had some ups and downs there, but we've also had some (good) performances, so we'll see how that goes.”

The Red Sox’s bullpen has had its fair share of ups and downs over the campaign so far. For one, veteran reliever Ryan Brasier posted a 7.84 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched in May, although he has bounced back in the month of June thanks to the 2.00 ERA logged.

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Boston's bullpen could soon receive a pair of much-needed boosts, as relievers Matt Barnes (shoulder inflammation) and Josh Taylor (lower back discomfort) may be activated off of the injured list in the coming weeks.

For now, the Red Sox are set to open up a three-game road series with the Cleveland Guardians beginning on Friday.