We laughed, we cried, we have the MLB trade deadline. While the Internet is filling up with winners and losers of the Aug. 1 cutoff, there was some head scratching surrounding what the Boston Red Sox did. Or in this case, didn’t do.
The Sox entered Tuesday just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot in the AL East standings, and the front office, with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom at the head of it all, barely made a blip on the radar. Despite having some glaring needs. Needs that manager Alex Cora said Bloom himself addressed with the team.
“There were conversations between Chaim and some players, talking about what they thought was needed,” Cora said Wednesday on WEEI’s ‘Gresh & Fauria.’ “At this time, everybody is a GM, right? I read quotes that we need an arm, I read quotes that we need offensive players. That’s part of it. …”
Well, that’s what the team needed.
What the team did: Acquired Milwaukee Brewers infielder Luis Urías and then optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.
The team, like many, could have benefitted from a pitcher and another bat. Urías was placed on the injured list this season with a hamstring strain and didn’t return until June 5. Since then, he was hitting .145/.299/.236.
Perhaps there is some hope, however, with guys currently on the injured list returning soon as Cora explained.
“At the end of the day, this is where we’re at. This is the team that we have, and there’s some good news coming up. Chris [Sale] throwing yesterday, Trevor [Story] is playing a day game after a night game today, we’re excited about that. They’ve got to do their job in the end, that’s the most important thing.”
Usually when a player plays in back-to-backs following an injury, he’s set to return sooner rather than later to a big-league lineup.
Nevertheless, Cora did said the health is returning to the club and Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas did just get AL Rookie of the Month honors for the month of July. The 23-year-old hit .348 with seven home runs, 13 RBI four doubles and a triple last month.
