The Boston Red Sox sit at 30-35 and trail the division by 10 1/2 games. They’re also 4 1/2 games back from the last Wild Card spot in the American League.
That puts them in an interesting spot as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.
The Red Sox can still make a postseason push, but they need to get things moving soon. If not, they might be smart to trade some expiring contracts to contenders looking for help. FanSided’s Zachary Rotman predicted that Walker Buehler would be among those moved if the team “doesn’t turn around.”
“The Red Sox signed Walker Buehler with one thing in mind – the postseason. He hadn’t been an effective regular season pitcher really since 2021, as he’s dealt with injuries and has struggled when he’s been healthy. Still, he’s been dominant throughout his postseason career, and excelled in all but one inning last October.”
Buehler’s regular season numbers this year won’t blow anyone away – he’s got a 4.44 ERA and 4.75 FIP through nine starts. But here’s the thing: teams would primarily want him for October, and for good reason.
Postseason experience matters. Buehler’s track record speaks for itself.
Last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Buehler posted a 5.38 ERA that looked pretty rough on paper. But his postseason performance told a different story and ultimately led to his one-year, $21 million deal with Boston.
In October, Buehler managed a 3.60 ERA. Now, he gave up six earned runs in five innings during his first start – all in one brutal second inning. But after that? He was lights out.
His final three postseason outings were unscored upon. He made two starts in that span and picked up the World Series clinching save on one day of rest. That’s the kind of clutch performance that gets contenders interested.
Buehler struck out 13 batters across those final nine innings of work. He knows his current regular season performance isn’t where it needs to be, and he’s pretty frustrated about it.
“This organization put a lot of faith in me this offseason and I’ve been f—–g embarrassing for us.”
That’s what Buehler told reporters after his last start. Not exactly the confidence you want to hear from your veteran starter.
But here’s where it gets interesting for potential trade partners. Buehler’s postseason experience makes him attractive to teams that need starting pitching depth for a playoff run. He’s set to be a free agent after this season anyway, so the Red Sox might be open to moving him.
He does have a $25 million mutual option for next year, but that’s non-guaranteed. Even if he only turns it on in October, that’s exactly what contenders value most.
The Red Sox obviously wish Buehler would be putting up these performances for their postseason run. But if a playoff berth looks unlikely by late July, a trade makes sense. Buehler can walk in free agency after the year regardless.
As long as he stays healthy, there should be plenty of interest from teams looking to add proven postseason depth. The regular season struggles might keep his trade value reasonable, but October experience is hard to find on the trade market.
