Red Sox's Final Guide, Ideal Targets for 2022 MLB Trade Deadline
With a 6-16 record in July entering Wednesday's action, the Boston Red Sox are quickly playing their way out of postseason contention.
They have gone just 12-29 against the rest of the AL East, and after losing on Tuesday, they fell to the bottom of the division standings. However, they are still playing .500 baseball and right in the thick of the wild-card race, so buying is not out of the question.
This year's trade deadline is on Tuesday, Aug. 2, and teams will have until 6 p.m. ET that day to put the finishing touches on their roster for the stretch run.
Ahead we have taken a closer look at the buyer vs. seller debate while also highlighting a pair of ideal targets to address their roster needs.
Buyers or Sellers?
The Red Sox climbed from four games under .500 to 10 games over .500 during a red-hot 20-6 month of June, and they looked like clear buyers when the month began.
However, their recent struggles have changed the narrative, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them pivot to selling if the losses continue to pile up in the coming days.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN (via MLBTradeRumors), designated hitter J.D. Martinez is "out in the trade market" playing in the final season of a five-year, $109.95 million deal, and he's hitting .299/.367/.477 in 360 plate appearances on the year.
There is also the cloud of a potential opt-out from shortstop Xander Bogaerts this offseason hanging over the franchise, and shopping him is not out of the question if the front office has given up on extending him.
All of that said, it's still possible they opt to instead buy with additions to the starting rotation and bullpen atop the hypothetical shopping list.
Ideal Target: RP David Bednar
Any trade the Red Sox make this summer will need to be for more than just a rental player given their current standing in the AL East race.
That should put David Bednar (PIT) and Gregory Soto (DET) atop their wish list as far as relief pitchers are concerned.
Bednar, 27, is having a terrific first full season in the closer's role with 17 saves in 21 opportunities to go along with a 2.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 12.0 K/9 as a first-time All-Star this year.
He is controllable through the 2026 season and could be a long-term answer to what has been a revolving door in the closer's role in recent seasons. That remaining control means it's going to take a significant prospect haul to acquire him, but it would shore up perhaps the biggest hole on the roster.
Ideal Target: SP Frankie Montas
Frankie Montas spent nearly three weeks on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation earlier this month, but he returned with three scoreless innings on July 21 and stretched things out to five innings in his most recent start on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old has a 3.18 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings, and he finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting a year ago, so he is well-established at this point as a quality frontline option.
He could provide a boost to the rotation down the stretch and help shore up the staff in 2023 with Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill all headed for free agency. His recent injury also means he'll likely come a bit cheaper than Luis Castillo, but for the Red Sox sake his 2023 outlook is more important than this year.
Interestingly, Montas actually began his pro career in the Red Sox organization before he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the three-team deal that brought Jake Peavy to Boston at the 2013 deadline.