So the MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone and the Red Sox got a first baseman, adding Eric Hosmer in a trade with the Padres. Something they desperately needed. Adding Hosmer to this team for sure is an improvement. As a group, the Red Sox first basemen are at the bottom of Major League Baseball in most offensive categories. They are 28th in slugging, 27th in on-base percentage, 24th in home runs, they have a 67 wRC+ (100 is league average) and a -1.0 fWAR. This is horrendously bad. Franchy Cordero has tried to learn the position but isn’t a Major League first baseman and was demoted. Neither is Bobby Dalbec who will hopefully see his playing time cut with the Hosmer move.
Hosmer started off hot this year. He has cooled of late but is still slashing .272/.336/.391. He is essentially league average. He doesn’t really hit for much power but he gets on base enough that he can impact the lineup. But most importantly he is a good first baseman. He plays the position, it is his position. So there is a definite upgrade. Plus, San Diego is paying for the rest of this season. So an upgrade at first base…great.
But beyond adding an actual first baseman, what the hell was the strategy with the rest of the moves? JD Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi were not moved but Christian Vazquez was? Is adding Hosmer really going to push you over the edge as a playoff contender? There were no additions to the rotation or the bullpen. The outfield defense got worse with the addition of Tommy Pham. Maybe the offense gets a slight bump. At least come fantasy football draft season things might get spicy.
To sum up the moves, the Red Sox traded away their starting catcher for two prospects. Traded Jake Diekman for a backup catcher, Reese McGuire (Don’t google him). Acquired Tommy Pham for a player-to-be-named-later. Finally got Hosmer, two prospects, and cash for Jay Groome who was the 16th ranked prospect in the organization according to SoxProspects.com.
The most confusing part of all this is the Vazquez piece. Why, if you claim to be contending, would you trade your starting catcher? The guy that knows all of your pitchers. He is one of the more productive hitting catchers in the majors. A true homegrown player who was beloved in the clubhouse. I understand the move if you move Martinez and Eovaldi too. Reset the luxury tax (major eye roll here). Make moves this offseason to really turn the team into a competitor. But what they did makes no sense. They didn’t go in any direction. They are going to continue to field a team that is average.
That is the most frustrating thing, the lack of a direction. What is this team trying to do? Are they building for the future? Holding onto Martinez and Eovaldi would suggest they aren’t. Are they trying to win now? Only getting Hosmer, Reese McGuire and Tommy Pham would suggest that isn’t the plan. Are they going to lock up Devers and Bogaerts and build around them. That doesn’t seem to likely at this point.
This season, front office and ownership have been a bummer all year. They need to make up their minds if they are going to compete in the AL East because all of the other teams know what they are doing. The Red Sox are a .500 team now and unless things change it might be something we have to deal with for a while.
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The Never Weres 
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