Boston Red Sox: Top 5 Boston Candidates to Be Dealt at the Deadline

The MLB trade deadline is just over two months away and it's time to start thinking about whether the Boston Red Sox will be "buyers" or "sellers."

At the moment, Boston sits at .500 for only the third time this season and have yet to get over that hump this year. Upgrades across the roster might be necessary if they want to be contenders come September.

Boston currently lacks depth in their outfield due to countless injuries and could also use some more pitchers, whether it be a starter or a few relievers.

On the other hand, a few of their players could draw interest at the deadline, some more likely than others. Here are Boston's top five candidates to be dealt at the deadline.

Kevin Youkilis

2012 Statistics: .243/.316/.400 (20 Games), 3 HR, 10 RBI, 16 R

Kevin Youkilis is easily the top candidate to leave Boston around the trade deadline for several reasons. He struggled early in the season and then got injured, giving prospect Will Middlebrooks a chance to take his spot at third base. Middlebrooks jumped at the opportunity and basically took Youkilis' job for good.

Since Youkilis' return from a rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket, Boston has tried to increase his diminished trade value by putting him back at first base while playing Middlebrooks at third and Adrian Gonzalez in right field. 

His contract expires at the end of this season and there's no chance that Boston picks up their team option on him for 2013. He is set to make $12 million this season, which could be an issue, but there still seems to be a lot of interest surrounding the 33-year-old corner infielder.

Josh Beckett

2012 Statistics: 4-4 (8 Games), 4.38 ERA, 49.1 IP, 40 K

Josh Beckett has been very up and down this season and his time in Boston might be coming to an end. In his first start of the season, he allowed seven runs in less than five innings. The next start he went eight innings only allowing one run. On May 10th he didn't get through the third inning after letting up seven runs. The next start he throws seven scoreless innings. Very inconsistent.

Then there was the incident where he went golfing on an off-day after being scratched earlier in the week. Even though the front office didn't think it was that big of a deal, according to WEEI's Alex Speier, it still didn't sit well with many fans. Speier later wrote how the controversy wouldn't make Boston consider trading him and that even if they did, it would be a tough task.

Beckett is owed $15.75 million this season as well as the next two, making it nearly impossible to move him without sending a lot of cash over to the team interested. He would draw interest from teams, possibly more in the National League, who are in the playoff hunt and looking for a veteran starter who has a lot of postseason experience. Beckett is 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 14 career playoff games and also has two World Series rings.

Kelly Shoppach

2012 Statistics: .281/.379/.509 (19 Games), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R

Believe it or not, teams could be interested in Kelly Shoppach. He's played relatively well this season and ranks fifth among catchers in baseball with at least 50 plate appearances. In case you were wondering, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is sixth on that list. He's a veteran, primarily a backup catcher who could provide value to a team struggling behind the plate.

Enter the Washington Nationals, whose regular catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the season. They called up prospect Sandy Leon to aid Jesus Flores with the catching duties, but then he went down with an injury. According to the Washington Post's Amanda Comak, Washington would be interested in adding a veteran catcher, but wouldn't be willing to send anyone of significance in return.

No problem. Boston should soon be able to call up Ryan Lavarnway and then part with Shoppach. All Boston should ask for in return is a somewhat relevant reliever who can help the bullpen. If worst comes to worst, Boston gets a reliever from the minors that they can use in the future. Either way, why not trade Kelly Shoppach to Washington?

Nick Punto

2012 Statistics: .135/.298/.162 (22 Games), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R

I understand that Nick Punto hasn't been good offensively whatsoever this season, but he's a veteran utility infielder that can help a playoff contender. It's exactly what he did last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and they ended up winning the World Series. 

An interesting fit would've been with the Milwaukee Brewers. Their regular shortstop, former Red Sox Alex Gonzalez, is injured for the year and has them searching for a replacement, according to Tom Haudicourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nick Punto could've been a nice fit for the Brewers as he can play shortstop as well as second or third base, but instead they've claimed Cody Ransom, tweets Haudicourt.

As Haudicourt mentioned, even though there is a shortage of shortstop replacements there is absolutely no reason that Boston should keep Punto. Yes, he's really the only backup infielder they have at the moment, but eventually, Jose Iglesias is going to be called up and Mike Aviles will take over that role. Nick Punto has the experience that teams could look for late in the season.

Andrew Miller

2012 Statistics: 1-0 (9 Games), 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP, 11 K

Andrew Miller has been lights out for the Red Sox this season. Before yesterday when he allowed a two-run home run to Nick Johnson, he had yet to allow a run this season in eight innings over eight appearances. Not that holds are a relevant statistic, but he does have four on the year for what it's worth.

Miller is an intriguing trade target because he's a reliable left-hander who can pitch several innings if the starter leaves a game early. He also can handle the pressure of pitching late in games.

He might be available because Boston currently has three left-handed relievers in the bullpen, Rich Hill and Franklin Morales rounding out the trio. It already seems as if Morales is the first lefty out of the bullpen in close games and Hill is more of a specialist. Miller is a guy that teams could be interested in.

Another thing to add is that he can start a game if he has to. Miller started 12 times for Boston last season and can definitely pitch deep into a game.