SEATTLE — As Tuesday’s trade deadline approached, key members of the Red Sox made it known that they thought the team needed reinforcements.
Rafael Devers went on the record to say Boston needed pitching help. After Monday’s loss, another veteran, walking through the visiting clubhouse at T-Mobile Park, loudly questioned why Boston had not yet made a significant trade when other American League contenders were beefing up.
The deadline came and went without that addition as the Red Sox made just one move – a swap netting Milwaukee utilityman Luis Urías – before the deadline. The team’s leaders all said the right things, pledging their confidence in the group Boston has and correctly noting that any front office decisions were out of their control.
In the clubhouse, there was something of a neutral reaction to Chaim Bloom’s inaction, but not much surprise. Some players were relieved veterans like James Paxton and Adam Duvall weren’t traded in moves that would have represented something of a white flag for the 2023 Red Sox. Others privately wished more had been done but didn’t admit it, at least on the record.
Overall, the vibe was much better than last summer, when a deadline eve deal sending starting catcher Christian Vázquez nearly caused a revolt in Houston. Boston’s most notable players kept it positive Tuesday afternoon ahead of Bloom’s arrival in Seattle on Wednesday morning. Still, quietly, some frustration likely lingered.
“They didn’t sell, they didn’t buy,” said closer Kenley Jansen. “At the end of the day, the team is still the same and we’ve just got to believe in who we are.”
“The goal is to bring this team to the playoffs, so we can’t be distracted (about) if we had to make a move or not. I’m not gonna focus on the negativity.”
Devers went out of his way over the weekend to say how he clearly thought the Red Sox needed some arms. While Bloom and his lieutenants attempted to fortify the rotation and bullpen, the only additions ended up being a trio of depth relievers.
On Tuesday evening, Devers said he was glad the deadline had passed but wouldn’t go as far as to criticize Bloom’s approach.
“Those are things you can’t control,” Devers said through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez. “Obviously, we’re happy with the 26 guys we have here. The most I can do is just try to say what everybody knows, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.
“I can’t speak to Chaim’s mentality or approach. What I can speak to is what we’re doing right here in the clubhouse with the coaches. We know we want to win and that’s what we’ve been doing the last few weeks.”
During their time with the Dodgers, Jansen and slugger Justin Turner were the beneficiaries of many major trade deadline additions as Los Angeles made big splashes for players like Yu Darvish (2017), Manny Machado (2018), Max Scherzer (2021) and Trea Turner (2021). The two veterans know better than almost anyone what kind of jolt a big move can give a clubhouse four months into the season.
Still, both veterans said they valued the idea of continuity within the clubhouse. Just a week ago, Turner expressed how Boston’s trade sending friend Kiké Hernández back to Los Angeles was “bittersweet.”
“It’s different with different organizations,” Jansen said. “Some organizations are going to be more aggressive than the others. I can’t speak for Chaim. He probably knows what he’s doing… The team is good and we’ve got to keep believing in who we are and playing good baseball.
“You can add a lot of guys but still not win it. Then what? I can speak for myself. You just have to stay motivated. I’m just always gonna be on the positive side. I believe in every single guy in this locker (room). We can make a push. We can catch that wild card and play in the postseason this year.”
Turner reiterated what he said over the weekend in San Diego: He’s not paid to play general manager.
“In my years with L.A., we made tons of big splashes that didn’t pan out for anything,” he said. “The one year we won the World Series (2020) was the only year there wasn’t a trade deadline (boost). We rode with the guys in our room. Maybe there’s something to that.”
In explaining why the Red Sox largely stood pat during trade season, Bloom acknowledged that the team’s playoff odds (FanGraphs gives them a 25% chance of reaching the postseason) played a major role and even referred to the team as “underdogs.” Jansen embraced that moniker, noting that the Red Sox had never been projected to reach the postseason.
“That’s a motivation to me,” he said. “If you want to put us as underdogs or put us that we’re not gonna make the playoffs, stuff like that always fuels me. I want that to fuel all these other guys in here and be hungry about it to prove everybody wrong. For me, my whole life, I proved everybody wrong. I want (everybody) in this clubhouse to feel the same way, too.”
A quiet deadline doesn’t mean that reinforcements aren’t on the way. Multiple players polled Tuesday noted that the healthy returns of shortstop Trevor Story (possibly as soon as Friday) and pitchers Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock will fortify a group that was one of baseball’s best teams in July. The ceilings of Story and Sale remain exceedingly high even if health questions persist.
Manager Alex Cora believes the Red Sox were a strong group when they arrived at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday and will remain a contender. He’s happy the distraction of the looming deadline is behind the group.
“I think everybody has their opinion,” Cora said. “That’s the beauty of this. Maybe some guys thought we needed pitching. Others, a hitter. At the end of the day, we have a good baseball team. That’s the way I see it. What’s in the past is in the past. People play GM around this time and they have moves or this and that on what you need to do or whatever. We’ve been the best team in the big leagues the last month, I believe. We’ve just got to stay head down, keep going, keep playing good baseball.
“I’m happy we’ve got the group together. There were a few situations out there where I felt we were gonna trade some guys or we were gonna add some guys but it didn’t happen. I feel comfortable that this group is a good baseball team.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
