The month of July is coming to an end, and no team in baseball is happier about that than the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox entered July looking like a team that was destined to make the playoffs.
Boston was 10 games over .500 when the month started and boasted a 43-33 record at the time.
Since then, however, the team hasn’t been able to get out of its own way.
The Red Sox have won seven games all month long, and they only have one game remaining before the calendar flips to August.
At 50-52, Boston looks like a team that could end up selling at the trade deadline, and according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the club has started listening to offers on its veterans.
Red Sox are now listening on veterans. Maybe not a committed seller yet but they are seriously considering it. JD Martinez, Nate Eovaldi, Christian Vazquez all free agents to be and among the candidates to go. Bogaerts was told he stays.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2022
The Red Sox could have an entirely new look by the time the trade deadline comes and goes.
This year’s deadline is set for Aug. 2, which is just days away.
Players The Red Sox Could Trade
As Heyman mentioned, J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Christian Vazquez are among the players the Red Sox could trade.
To add on to that list, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill are other names that make sense as trade candidates given their contract situations.
While the Red Sox certainly aren’t thrilled about the idea of selling at the deadline, they’d likely be able to net some nice returns in exchange for some of those aforementioned players.
Let’s start with Martinez.
The 34-year-old is having another solid season, and he did enough to earn an All-Star selection earlier this summer.
His bat could definitely help out a number of contending teams, as he’s hitting .286 with an OPS of .808 this season.
There is surely a market for him, which is good news for the Red Sox as far as a potential return goes.
When it comes to Eovaldi, he’s having a somewhat underwhelming season, as he has a 4.43 ERA and 4.58 FIP across 15 starts.
However, he has made a name for himself as an outstanding postseason performer, which is something that contending teams obviously care about.
His track record should give his value a nice boost.
Nathan Eovaldi, Nasty 93mph Two Seamer…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/z2Ng8biszm
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 16, 2022
Vazquez, meanwhile, has spent his entire MLB career with the Red Sox so far, but that could conceivably change soon.
For any teams looking to add an above-average offensive catcher, Vazquez would be a great fit.
He’s hitting .283 this season with a .759 OPS, which is really solid production for a player at his position.
Lastly, in the cases of Wacha and Hill, both players are currently on the IL, but they’ve had solid seasons and bring a lot to the table as veteran leaders.
There’s typically a market for players that fit that description.
Ultimately, only time will tell which direction the Red Sox will choose at the deadline, but if they opt to punt on the 2022 season and sell, they could end up moving all of the players we just talked about.
Although Boston is only a few games out of a Wild Card spot in the AL, the team hasn’t shown much life lately, and it might be time to throw in the towel.
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