Stand pat, or swing another deal?
The trading deadline is a week away, and Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein finds himself in a unique position. He’s already made one trade that could help in the club’s push toward the postseason, acquiring lefthanded-hitting first baseman (and notorious second-half slugger) Adam LaRoche from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a pair of marginal prospects.
And according to multiple reports, including those from Peter Gammons (always plugged in to the Sox) and Jon Heyman (plugged in seemingly everywhere), the Red Sox would consider another trade, one that would bring a bigger name to Boston — perhaps switch-hitting Indians catcher Victor Martinez, whom Gammons suggested the Sox could have had for pitcher Clay Buchholz.
And of course, they could always jump into the high-stakes Roy Halladay sweepstakes, something the Globe’s Nick Cafardo suggests they should do.
Or maybe the team as it is currently constructed will prove to be of championship-caliber, that despite the current five-game losing streak and team-wide slump, Epstein will decide that the post-LaRoche-deal status quo is the way to go. It’s always a possibility, as the Globe’s Tony Massarotti explained this morning:
Epstein kept referring to the “reasonable acquisition cost” of a lefthanded-hitter with power, which was an extremely tactful way of saying that LaRoche was all but picked up for nothing from Pittsburgh, baseball’s answer to Building 19. (Good stuff cheap.) As owner John Henry noted on Twitter last night: “[The] trading deadline hasn’t passed but don’t expect blockbuster(s); [we] like this club; [we] love the prospects it might take to do a blockbuster.”
Capisce? The Sox had no interest in giving up anyone of consequence and they still don’t. If you think there’s a bigger gift than this coming before July 31, we’d advise you to don your jammies, put out a plate of milk and cookies, then wait for Señor Claus.
Then again, maybe there will be something else under our midsummer Christmas tree. Epstein also indicated he is open to making a significant trade, offering these comments during Wednesday’s press conference confirming the LaRoche deal.
“I think we plan to be very active in discussions in talking to just about every club out there and persuing every player that can make us better now and in the future. Certainly, there are no guarantees. Certainly, we hope to make another move between now and the deadline. . . . [T]here’s a second category of player that we’re certainly going to pursue where we can find significant impact on the roster. Those trades are hard to make and hard to make without surrendering your entire foundation for the future. Which doesn’t mean you don’t still pursue them.”
Quick recap: The LaRoche deal might be it for the Sox before July 31. . . or they may bring in a player who might make a major impact. Talk about your mixed messages. But that’s nothing unusual at this time of the season.
So the question as the trade rumors fly and the trade deadline creeps closer is this:
What should the Red Sox do? Stand pat with LaRoche and the current cast, which has struggled mightily lately but is too talented to let this team-wise slump last much longer?
Or trade a few of their plethora of pitching prospects — Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, and Daniel Bard, to name a few — to acquire a hitter such as Martinez?
You tell us what they should do in the comments section of this post and in the survey below. A week from now, we’ll finally have the answer.
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