The Boston Red Sox began the summer hoping to strengthen their rotation and add a right-handed bat.
After failing to address either need in a meaningful way, many complained that the Kansas City Royals were having the winter that Boston was supposed to have after adding right-handers Michael Wacha (4-5, 4.24 ERA), Seth Lugo (9-1, 1.72 ERA), and Hunter Renfroe.
As it turned out, the Royals’ additions paid off, as they now have a 36-25 record, good for second in the American League Central and locked into a wild card place.
The Red Sox now have the opportunity to bolster the Royals roster by trading one of their top impending free agents at the July 30 trade deadline.
“Even after recent struggles, Kansas City holds the fourth-best record in the AL, and beyond an acute need for bullpen help, the Royals could use an outfielder who can hit,” Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote on Tuesday. “In 685 plate appearances this season, their outfielders are hitting .204/.271/.324, good for a wOBA of .267 — the worst among all big league outfields.”
Passan added that Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill “would draw plenty of interest, provided he’s healthy.”
In 41 games with the Red Sox, O’Neill has a.236 batting average, 17 extra-base hits, 11 home runs, 17 RBIs, and a.843 OPS (133 OPS+).
The 28-year-old will be an appealing carrot to dangle at a deadline that will be short on impact outfielders. If Boston continues to play.500 baseball, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is likely to sell, given the organization’s consistent rhetoric this season about evaluating what it has on the farm and on the big league roster.
Tanner Houck has had breakout seasons. Kutter Crawford, Wilyer Abreu, and others, Breslow can use O’Neill to acquire some intriguing prospects and, hopefully, spend some money next offseason.
The roster as it stands now is insufficient to make a major run, and it is unlikely to improve with a few pieces. Everything leads to imminent free agents like O’Neill, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, and possibly Nick Pivetta being dealt in the near future.
