At one point a couple of weeks ago, the Boston Red Sox had a worse record than the Baltimore Orioles and were last in the ever-competitive AL East division.
But they were a team built to compete right now: they had patience, and they understood the season is still in its early stages.
Logically, the Sox have played a lot better recently and have been able to put together a solid stretch.
All the early-season panic seems well in the rearview mirror now.
“The @RedSox would be in the playoffs if the postseason started today. They are 17-8 in their last 25 games. The @Yankees are the only AL team with a better record over that span. A Xander Bogaerts trade is less likely now than it was one month ago,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
The @RedSox would be in the playoffs if the postseason started today. They are 17-8 in their last 25 games. The @Yankees are the only AL team with a better record over that span.
A Xander Bogaerts trade is less likely now than it was one month ago.@MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 6, 2022
The Red Sox Are One Of American League’s Most Dangerous Teams
By virtue of the expanded playoffs format the league adopted before the season started, the Red Sox are now holding a postseason spot.
And things are expected to get better relatively soon: rotation stars Chris Sale and James Paxton are expected to be important pieces in the second half.
They are currently 12 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, so it’s not easy to envision them taking the division lead.
However, they are already playing .500 ball at 27-27, and the best is yet to come.
Any trade scenarios involving Xander Bogaerts (one of their best players) are not in consideration anymore: if anything, expect the Red Sox, who made it all the way to the American League Championship Series last year, to be buyers as the deadline approaches.
They may not be as good as the Yankees or the Tampa Bay Rays (or the Toronto Blue Jays, for that matter), but if they make it to October, the Red Sox will be very dangerous.
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