The Boston Red Sox have looked like a completely different team since the 2021 MLB trade deadline passed.
After leading the American League East for most of the season, the Red Sox now find themselves facing a four-game deficit in the division.
Boston still holds a Wild Card spot currently, but no team wants to land in a single-elimination game to open the postseason.
Many Red Sox fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the way Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom approached the deadline.
Boston didn’t make many additions, and that’s looking like a big mistake.
Let’s dissect what has gone wrong for the Red Sox since the deadline passed.
The Rotation Was A House Of Cards In The First Half Of The Season, And It’s Finally Collapsing
The Red Sox entered the year with a very questionable starting rotation.
Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez headlined the staff, and the other three spots were filled in with high-risk arms in Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, and Martin Perez.
Not many fans had high hopes for that trio, but somehow, someway, those three guys were extremely serviceable in the first half of the season.
Pivetta had a 3.78 ERA up until June 12, Richards had a 3.88 ERA up until June 11, and Perez had a 3.09 ERA up until June 8.
Not bad at all, right?
But everything changed in the middle of June.
Here’s all you need to know: Pivetta has a 5.00 ERA over his last 10 starts, Richards has a 7.15 ERA over his last 10 starts, and Perez has a 7.13 ERA over his last 11 starts.
The Red Sox aren’t going to win many baseball games when that’s the way things are going with the rotation.
Fortunately, help is on the way in the form of Chris Sale and Tanner Houck.
The team will soon be able to roll with a rotation of Sale/Eovaldi/Rodriguez/Houck/Pivetta.
With Sale going Saturday, this is how the Red Sox rotation could lineup for the upcoming series:
Erod-Eovaldi-Houck against the Rays
Pivetta-Sale-Erod against the Orioles
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) August 8, 2021
The Offense Is Sputtering
The Red Sox rank eighth in all of baseball in runs per game (4.83), but since the deadline, Boston’s offense hasn’t been very prolific.
In its last 10 games, the team has been held to two runs or fewer five times.
Timely hitting has been an issue, and the Sox haven’t been taking many balls out of the yard.
Boston has three elite hitters in Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and J.D. Martinez, and the club is going to need to get all three of those guys firing on all cylinders if this skid is going to end anytime soon.
The Bullpen Has Blown Multiple Games
Many fans wanted to see the Red Sox bring in some legitimate bullpen help at the trade deadline, but the area went largely unaddressed.
Perhaps that was a mistake, because the Boston bullpen blew two games in the team’s most recent series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Matt Barnes gave up a walk-off shot to Marcus Semien on Saturday, then the Boston bullpen collectively collapsed on Sunday to blow a four-run lead in the eighth inning.
George Springer, noted UConn Husky, second decks Matt Barnes, noted UConn Husky pic.twitter.com/9R0rNQKCpV
— Mike Mavredakis (@MikeMavredakis) August 8, 2021
Both games were extremely winnable, and the Red Sox are at a point now where they can’t be giving wins away.
NEXT: 2 Players Who Need To Get Hot For Red Sox Right Now