You’re in this thing!
The day before the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline has arrived. The Red Sox sit at 58-51. They have the fifth-best record in the American League. They are five games out of first place in the AL East and currently in sole possession of the second wild card. Through all of the chaos and the trades and the injuries that the first ~100 or so games of the season have brought, the Red Sox are there, right in the playoff mix.
Now, do I think the 2025 Boston Red Sox are world-beaters? No! They are a solid, albeit flawed, baseball club. But guess what. So is every “good” team in the American League. With just a few additions in the 36 hours, these Red Sox can position themselves very well within the AL.
For some context, let’s take a look at the three AL division leaders. The Detroit Tigers, who were once thought to be the cream of the American League crop, just lost twelve of thirteen games. That is very bad! The Blue Jays, who for about a month-and-a-half simply could not lose, just got swept in a four game set by the lowly Orioles. That is very bad! Finally, there’s the Astros, who essentially have their entire roster on the injured list (I guess this could be looked at a positive trait, considering they are still finding ways to win but, whatever).
And just for good measure, why don’t we check in on our Rivalry Brothers, the Bronx Bombers? The Yankees once held more than a 10-game lead on the rest of the division and now maintain possession of the first wild card by only a half game. I think that says enough. Oh! And Aaron Judge is currently injured!
Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images
The message here is really quite simple: Buy! It’s been three years of these non-committal deadlines. No, the Red Sox aren’t favorites to win the pennant, but frankly, when you take a step back and look at the big picture, there isn’t one. After surviving the nine-game NL-division leader gauntlet out of the All-Star break, the Red Sox’ remaining strength of schedule sits at around .500. Not horrifying, not a cake-walk. They have as good a chance as anyone here.
Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Smarter people than I have written about the upgrades the team needs to acquire by Thursday evening. You’ve all heard the same. Starter, reliever, first baseman, and maybe a backup catcher if we’re feeling crazy. Of course, that’s all easier said than done, but it’s not outlandish. These are not pie-in-the-sky moves that are required to shore up this team’s shortcomings. It can be done.
I’m ready for the Red Sox to buy, and you should be too.
Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images