The Boston Red Sox came alive in the first three games of their weekend series against the New York Yankees, and it appears they are now committed to being buyers heading into Wednesday’s trade deadline.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that Red Sox executives are confident they will make an “impactful deal” before July 31. Olney says New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz is one name to watch.
There is confidence in Red Sox organization that they can make an impactful deal before the deadline. Speculation: Edwin Diaz makes a lot of sense for Boston, not only for what he could add this year, but his minimal salary for this year fits in ownership parameters.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 28, 2019
As Olney notes, the Red Sox don’t want to add a significant amount of salary, and Diaz is making around $600K this season before becoming arbitration eligible for the first time this winter. The right-hander is struggling in his first season with the Mets and allowed a two-run homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday to raise his ERA to 4.95 on the season, but he still picked up his 23rd save of the year.
The Red Sox have major bullpen issues that need to be addressed, and Diaz led baseball last year with 57 saves. However, he has three more years of team control and is still drawing plenty of interest despite his inflated numbers this season, so Boston may have some competition.
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently hinted that the team was not going to do much before the deadline, but that may have been a smokescreen. It’s also possible he has changed his mind after the Red Sox blew the doors off the Yankees the past three games.
