Boston Red Sox Postseason Prospects: Genuine Contenders?
Joe Raineri and Scott Weztel debate the Red Sox's playoff odds. Despite a record-setting July, doubts about their World Series potential continue to linger.
Video Transcript
I wanna talk to you about those Red Sox coming up here tonight against the Giants.
If anybody would give me a non-biased look here at this Red Sox team- it would be you.
Between them and the Dolphins- Yeah I can always get an unbiased opinion from you.
So Red Sox have a unbelievable July, put themselves in the postseason conversation.
Right now, are you buying the Red Sox to be a legit contender?
You know, I, I am, but only because the American League sucks, Joe.
It, it's, you know- if they were in the National League, then it would be no.
So but, you know, could they beat Houston or the White Sox, or even Tampa Bay?
Y- yeah, yeah, sure.
I mean, why, why not?
Just like all those other fan bases could probably say the same thing, you know- Mm-hmm about their respective teams.
But do I think they're a, a championship team?
Would they beat anybody in the World Series?
No, I, I, I don't think so.
And, and, you know, i- if not for the AL being so bad, I, I got a feeling they wouldn't make it.
It, they're just, they're a weird team.
You know, they got a better record against first-place teams than they do last-place teams.
I mean- Crazy who, who, who does that?
Who, I mean, they're 13 and 0 against division leaders, but then they lose series to Colorado or they'll lose series to the Angels.
I, I mean, it makes no sense with this team.
You know, they got Sonny Gray on the hill tonight, Logan Webb, big game.
Rafael Devers comes back to town for the first time since the trade last year.
So you know, that, that, that's kind of the headline today.
But ultimately, do I think th- they're a World Series-winning team?
No.
You know, th- th- they don't have the hitting.
They, they don't have the consistent hitting.
You know, the pitching's there.
Bullpen is there.
It, it's great, but you can't win games three, two, two, one all the time.
You just can't do it.
And, and you don't, you just don't have the, the consistency, from the bats like you, you really need to have from a championship team.
Yeah.
I mean, it's a great story, and it just goes to show you what a hot month will get you, Scott- Yeah and where it can put you.
And that's exactly what they've done.
But I think a time will tell.
Is Crochet coming back?
Do we know?
They don't know.
He's, he's, he's kinda like the, the, the Red Sox version of Aaron Judge with the Yankees.
N- nobody knows.
No, don't, don't, you know, it's just, it's like a mystery.
He, he's supposed to.
Crazy.
You know, you know, they're hoping.
They're praying.
You know, there, there was a, a bonus clause that, that if he didn't pitch so many innings, that would, allow the Red Sox to, to, to not have an opt-out, so you know, he passed that, so this is, like, a legitimate injury, obviously.
So they don't know.
It, like I said, it's the same exact thing with Aaron Judge.
Well, you, you hear reports and stuff like that, right?
Yeah.
But the, the, they're not positive.
So it's like, oh, go figure, right?
I, I don't get it.
I, like, either- Yeah he's gonna be ready or he's not.
It would be tremendous if he would be ready- Oh, yeah for them.
You know, but I, I, you can't count on it, I guess, at this particular point.
But to your poi- what's the big comp We know who the competition is.
It's the Yankees, and it's Tampa.
Yeah.
And how much faith do we ha- how do they size up?
Because anybody and everyone else, whatever ends up coming out of the Central, who cares?
Whatever comes out of the West, who cares?
It's to me, that final wildcard spot in the American League, who's it gonna be, Scott?
Is it Toronto?
Is it whoever finishes second in the West?
I, I mean, who, who d- is Minne- listen, I'll say this about Minnesota, 'cause if it ended right now, it looks like Minnesota would be in, right?
W- let me ask you- Uh- Minnesota at least spent money and did something at the deadline, Scott, to try and get better to give themselves the opportunity to make a push.
It's a, I give teams like that and organizations a lot more credit than those that just happen to sell whatever they could sell, and, "Okay, if we make it, great.
If we don't, we were really playing for next year anyway."
Yeah.
I mean, I, I don't think they're that, that team though, Joe.
I, I like Toronto out of the whole, you know, mix.
Um- you know, and now th- they still got Vlad Guerrero.
He's in concussion protocol, though he's supposed to be available tomorrow supposedly.
So he's gonna miss- Mm-hmm another game today, so he's missed about a week.
But you know, the Blue Jays are a half game back, three games under 500.
You know, o- obviously, they're a step away from winning the World Series last year, so on, on paper, they would be the, the best team.
I kept on waiting for them to go off on one of those nine and two, you know, eight and one runs.
Yeah.
It hasn't happened.
They just keep on w- winning a couple, lose a couple, win a couple, lose a couple, right?
But there they sit, just a half a game back.
So if I was gonna pick one, it would be the Blue Jays, tell you the truth.
Yeah, I, the, well, I don't know.
Now, listen, just because you made the moves doesn't mean you're gonna win anything.
But at least- Right an organization like Minnesota was like, "Hey, let's try and bolster the bullpen.
Let's try and make a run at this," while other teams like Baltimore and Exce- it's like, "Nah, we'll just, you know-" Yeah "gonna play for neg..." Detroit.
Like, I, I, I hope those teams don't even sniff the postseason 'cause they don't deserve it
