With roughly a month until the MLB trade deadline, a number of teams are still figuring out whether they'll buy, sell or stay the course before it passes.
The Boston Red Sox have been playing very well in recent weeks, winning 13 of their last 16 games. This string of success has led some to believe they should be buying at the deadline, including MLB insider Ken Rosenthal.
Earlier in the week, Rosenthal appeared on "Foul Territory" and shared his thoughts on where the Red Sox stand while taking a few shots at their ownership group.
"It's one of the best questions," Rosenthal said. "From last offseason, starting then, they've been a team that, seemingly, does not want to try. 'We're just kinda playing for the future, blah, blah, blah, blah.' Well, guess what? Your team's actually better than you thought it was going to be. It's better than you deserve it to be, and I'm talking about their ownership right now.
"At this stage, as well as their playing, and as interesting as they are, I would expect that they that will buy, and that they will maybe do two things at once. They can trade some of their potential free agents, perhaps, and bring in other players. That's not out of the question for them. But, my goodness. When you play like this, and you have Alex Cora in the last year of his contract, you're obligated, in my opinion, to make an effort here. The thing is that they haven't shown that they've wanted to make an effort, ownership that is, again since last offseason.
"They're a team to watch, in my opinion, because if they don't honor what their players, manager and coaching staff have done here, and I'm talking again 'they' is ownership, if they don't do that, well shame on them."
Are the @RedSox trade deadline buyers?@Ken_Rosenthal dishes on Boston's approach after a solid first half. pic.twitter.com/PgnIZuD5ze
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 25, 2024
For those who have followed this team in recent years, it's pretty obvious that ownership isn't interested in going all out to win. They even went as far as to attack fan expectations earlier this year. And, at the same time, the front office might not want to part with some of their top prospects who are seen as the future of the organization.
However, if they don't bring in some reinforcements at the deadline, Cora will be as good as gone after the season, and the players' attitudes could take a dip. Both of those would likely affect the product on the field.
