For the first time all season, the Boston Red Sox are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
The team has lost its division lead in the American League East, and many fans are starting to break a sweat for the first time all year.
Additionally, the Red Sox shocked many folks by being relatively quiet at the trade deadline.
The team made just one notable deal: a trade for Washington Nationals slugger Kyle Schwarber.
But here’s where things get interesting: Boston has several key reinforcements on the way despite the quiet deadline.
Staff ace Chris Sale is set to return soon from injury.
When he does, it will be his first appearance in a game since 2019.
He has been missed dearly.
The team will also soon activate Christian Arroyo, Ryan Brasier, and Marwin Gonzalez from the injured list.
Each of those players will provide a nice boost.
Once everything comes together, the Red Sox will gain a lot of production from players they’ve been without.
Let’s take a look at what Sale and Schwarber are going to bring to the table.
Breaking Down Sale’s Impact
When Sale returns, he will immediately become the best starter in a Boston rotation that desperately needs a staff ace.
Chris Sale 4th rehab assignment:
5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K.
81 pitches, 51 strikes
Fastball touching 96mph pic.twitter.com/8Qo3Isz0AA— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) July 31, 2021
The current rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Martin Perez, Garrett Richards, and Eduardo Rodriguez did a decent job of keeping the Red Sox afloat during the first half of the season, but many of those arms have struggled lately.
Sale will be the anchor that the staff needs.
He has a career 3.03 ERA, is a six-time All-Star, a seven-time Cy Young vote-getter, and above all, he has the postseason experience that Boston is going to need.
The team may very well end up in the single-elimination Wild Card Game, and if that’s the case, there is a world of a difference between being able to give the ball to Sale and having to give the ball to one of the other rotation arms that we talked about.
Breaking Down Schwarber’s Impact
Schwarber is a funky fit for this Red Sox team, but he figures to make a big impact anyway.
The concern is that Schwarber doesn’t really have a home defensively with Boston.
The team has a solid outfield trio of Alex Verdugo, Enrique Hernandez, and Arroyo, so there isn’t exactly a spot for Schwarber there.
He has experience at third base, but that territory belongs to rising star Rafael Devers.
Although the Red Sox haven’t ruled out the possibility of Schwarber playing catcher, that might be far-fetched, as it has been several years since he last played behind the dish.
Realistically, Schwarber’s best fit might be at first base—a position that he would have to learn to play.
Chaim Bloom says that the Red Sox will try Kyle Schwarber at first base: "I wouldn’t bet against him.”
Says Schwarber is a couple of weeks away, but is not taking batting practice yet
— Joon 이준엽 (@joonlee) July 30, 2021
But no matter where Schwarber lands defensively, he is going to be a key hitter.
He is having a career year offensively, as he is batting .253 with a .910 OPS and 25 home runs.
He had a ridiculous stretch in June at one point.
He batted .329 with a 1.384 OPS and 16 games over a 19-game span.
That’s the hitter the Red Sox are getting.
Boston will feel a lot better about its title chances once the roster comes together.
It’s too soon to count this team out of the AL East race.
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