The Red Sox are looking for bullpen help.
Boston is quietly "surveying the market" for a reliever, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. He also reports general manager Dave Dombrowski prefers hard throwers.
So who could those men be? There haven't been any names attached to Boston as of yet, and as Heyman also reported, Dombrowski will not panic in his pursuit of help.
There are, however, several names that have been discussed as possible trade targets for multiple teams already, so we're doing our best to put two and two together and project just who the Red Sox could be looking for.
Here are four relievers the Red Sox could pursue in a trade:
Felipe Vazquez, closer, Pirates
As Heyman said, Dombrowsk prefers hard throwers and Felipe Vazquez is just that. He averages 98.1 mph on his fastball and does so from the left side which would give Dombrowski what he wants and add a viable lefty reliever to the Boston bullpen. Vazquez seems like a perfect fit for the Red Sox.
Ken Giles, closer, Blue Jays
This is an interesting option for a couple of reasons. For one, Ken Giles fits the bill for Dombrowski as he averages 97.4 mph with his fastball, but on the other hand, he did not have a lot of success with the Astros in important situations. And remember, Alex Cora was there first hand when Giles posted an 11.74 ERA in 7 2/3 innings with Houston in the 2017 playoffs. But he is available and he has been good this season and was good to end last year. So the Red Sox could probably get him. But would they want to?
Mychal Givens, reliever, Orioles
Mychal Givens has great stuff, throws hard (95.0 average fastball) and will be tradeable. The Red Sox have seen a lot of him. And with the deeper right and right-center field at Fenway Park, Givens could see his numbers go up simply by leaving Camden Yards.
Archie Bradley, reliever, Diamondbacks
This one is off the beaten path we admit. Archie Bradley has not been mentioned in any trade rumors and the Diamondbacks do value him. However, the team could very well sell off pieces if it gets worse and Bradley would probably fetch the best return for the team. He has two years of arbitration left after this one and was a top-10 pick in 2011. And again, get him out of Arizona and he could see his numbers improve.
Final Note: Other relievers available include Will Smith of the Giants, Kirby Yates of the Padres, Shane Green of the Tigers and Sean Doolittle of the Nationals. The Red Sox could go after all of these men as well, but if Dombrowski's preference for hard throwers is true then these men may not find themselves in Boston. Not one averages better than 94.0 mph on their fastballs.