Well it has been a roller coaster of emotions for us Sox fans in the past week. We go on a 3 game winning streak, during that time, Christian Vasquez gets traded, Rafael Devers comes off the IL, we get an upgrade at the dreaded 1B position, but we still sit 2.5 games outside the WC spot. A lot of positives but something needed to be done going into the deadline. Sell or buy. The wait game for the fans and players was on upon arrival to Houston with a matchup against one of the AL’s best. Here is what Chaim did to improve our roster.
The first and most upsetting move was trading, fan favorite Christian Vasquez, to the Houston Astros for Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu. These two are lower ended prospects in Astros farm system, but Valdez has already made his presence in Worchester with an opposite field screamer over the left field wall. Maybe Chaim is up to something and knows what he is doing? Needless to say, trading a player like Moonman really kills vibes in the clubhouse. Xander Bogaerts was a player that was very displeased with the trade. This doesn’t fair well since he is able to opt out after this year and test free agency. I do believe Vasquez finds his way back to Boston after this season.
Bloom and the Red Sox also did ALL of us fans a big favor and shipped Douchebag Diekman THE HELL OUT OF BOSTON. In return, we received a guy that got caught masturbating in public…nice. Reese McGuire, as we may know him for his short stint in Toronto came over in that deal. I would literally accept McGuire hitting 1-36 in his first 36 at bats in a Boston uniform, then to watch Diekman pitch another inning for us. SEE YA NEVER! We also acquired Tommy Pham from the Reds. This is a typical Bloom move and I like it. He is a role player and has good power on him. Is he the answer in the outfield, no. Is he way better than Franchy in all categories known to man, yes. Nothing sexy with these pickups, but a minor improvement.
Finally, our big acquisition of the deadline by Chaim Bloom. Eric Hosmer. I have had people question this pickup and also downplay as an outsider. Okay, I’ll hear your viewpoint, but listen to mine for minute. Eric Hosmer is a MASSIVE upgrade from Bob and Franchy both offensive and defensively. Bob is hitting .207 with 29 RBIs and Franchy strikes out more than Mark Bellhorn. Hosmer is hitting .282 with 40 RBIs and a lot of his pop outs to right may possibly of been off the wall in Fenway. Hosmer is also a seasoned vet and mentor of our prized possession, Triston Casas. Writing on the wall you say? Yes, I agree. The Red Sox have been abysmal in the month of July with errors at 1B. Hosmer is a 4x Gold Glove winner. Padres eat basically the rest of Hosmer’s contract and we get him three years for free. We also received cash consideration that will be going straight to Dever’s BILLION dollar contract. Great pick up.
Okay, so my overall grade I would give Chaim and his staff is a B-. We still didn’t do anything to bolster our horrendous bullpen and we give up a team leader in Vasquez. On the plus, we address our need at 1B, send Franchy to hell, and still look to compete and not give up on the season just yet. There is a lot of ball left to play and I agree with Chaim, “we believe we are a postseason team.” Let’s get healthy and go on a little run. Go Sox!
Between the Yards 