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Boston Red Sox: Final 2017 Trade Deadline Grades
August 1, 2017Boston Red Sox: Final 2017 Trade Deadline Grades
The Boston Red Sox may not have made the biggest splash of the trade deadline, but they were efficient in their dealings over the last month.
The additions of Addison Reed and Eduardo Nunez, as well as the call-up of Rafael Devers, bolstered the roster of the American League East side enough to try to keep up with the free-spending New York Yankees.
Entering August, the Red Sox are a half game back of their biggest rival in the standings, and in order to prevent a larger gap in the standings, the new additions will have to shine.
Here's an evaluation of what the Red Sox did over the last month to improve their roster ahead of the postseason.
The Big Deals
The Red Sox didn't wait around until the final hours of the trade deadline on Monday, as they got their guy early in the afternoon.
Boston acquired reliever Addison Reed from the New York Mets in exchange for three prospects. The Red Sox sent pitchers Gerson Bautista, Jamie Callahan and Stephen Nogosek back to the Mets.
The deal gives the Red Sox another solid arm in the bullpen for the late innings, with Reed expected to take over an eighth-inning role in front of Craig Kimbrel. The 28-year-old comes to Boston with a 1-2 record, 2.57 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 19 saves in 2017.
Five days prior to the deadline, the Red Sox brought in Eduardo Nunez from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a pair of right-handed pitchers. The 30-year-old Nunez was hitting .334 in the Bay Area before being shipped up to Boston.
Other Moves
Perhaps the biggest move of the last month by the Red Sox was their release of Pablo Sandoval.
The beleaguered third baseman was let go on July 19 after a tumultuous tenure in Boston. Letting go of Sandoval allowed the Red Sox to call up Rafael Devers from Triple-A Pawtucket.
In his first six games in the big leagues, Devers has 10 hits, two of which are home runs, and four RBI. With Devers and Nunez now in the fold at third base, the Red Sox should have enough firepower to replace Sandoval and make sure he is forgotten sooner rather than later.
Missed Opportunities
The Red Sox exited the trade market early on Monday after acquiring Reed, and it would've been difficult for them to bring in another player given the high demands of selling clubs.
However, one has to ask if the Red Sox did enough compared to the New York Yankees, who drastically improved their roster with a few deals over the last month.
There isn't a whole lot the Red Sox could've done after the Reed deal. Maybe they could've jumped in for another reliever, but the missed opportunity here is more failing to block what the Yankees did than Boston improving its roster further.
Projecting Trade Impact
The main objective of the Reed trade is to give Craig Kimbrel a reliable setup man, and that is what the Red Sox should get out of the 28-year-old pitcher.
Reed gives the Red Sox a more reliable 1-2 punch in the eighth and ninth innings, and in the chance that Kimbrel needs rest or goes down with an injury, the Red Sox don't have to worry about scrambling for a replacement at closer.
The moves at third base will do nothing but improve the club. Combining the experienced bat of Nunez and the youthful exuberance of Devers should do nothing but help the Red Sox as they prepare for the postseason.
Both Nunez and Devers have already found some early success with the Red Sox, as they've combined for 18 hits in 41 at-bats with four home runs and nine RBI.
Final Trade Deadline Grade
Grade: B
The Red Sox did what they needed to do to fill the holes in their team and gear up for the postseason.
They didn't need an overflow of incoming players like their rivals in the Bronx put together, but they also couldn't sit still at the deadline.
Whether or not it's enough to compete with the Yankees remains to be seen, but you can't fault the Red Sox for the deals they made so far.