Passan: Red sox weighing options at deadline, can make a killing with Chapman, Gray, Contreras, Whitlock
Passan: Red sox weighing options at deadline, can make a killing with Chapman, Gray, Contreras, Whitlock originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Video Transcript
Let's bring in Chris Catillo now, MassLive.
And, Chris, I'll, I'll start with your thoughts on the Sox, where they are right now.
Are you a believer in this team?
Do you believe they can actually make a push here and, grab a, a playoff spot?
I guess we'll, we'll find out by the end of this week or next week, just because the schedule's tough.
They're home, they haven't played well here at Fenway, and off to a good start with today, a definitely a complete team win.
They were ready to play and the Rays weren't, which, you know, is a testament to Chad Tracy and the group.
But at a certain point, 10 wins in a row, they're finding different ways to do it, the bedrock being starting pitching and all that stuff.
You have to give them a ton of credit.
I think the verdict will come in probably about midway through this long 10-game home stand, and obviously at the end ahead of the deadline.
But, to get back to a point where they haven't been 500 since March.
Not April, March.
I mean, it's been that long, the second game of the season.
And they can achieve that tonight, and so credit where credit's due there.
Yeah, and I, I mean, I, I would imagine the vibes are certainly a little higher around Fenway Park at this time of year.
It, I, I think- Yeah they're probably penciling it in for being, much of a, a tourist crowd coming to Fenway Park to see Fenway Park, not the Red Sox playing.
But you got a lot of people that are invested in it in that sort of way.
As far as the starting pitcher today, this afternoon, Jake Bennett, how real is Jake Bennett at this point?
I mean, they've gotten some great starting pitching from, from everybody else.
He, he's now 4-2 on the year.
He's got a 1.17 ERA, a WHIP of 0.63, and, 30 strikeouts and just four walks.
That's five quality starts for Jake Bennett in his last six starts.
Is he kind of the real deal?
Is he a guy that they can rely upon as they, hope to play into October?
Yeah, I mean, today Chad Tracy was talking about that we have one of our best on the mound, and when you really think about it, it's true.
Jake Bennett has been excellent in the second stint since he took over for Bello.
He has really been, you know, even better than Tolley, even better than Early before he got hurt, and that, those were the guys that, you know, had all the hype heading into the year.
What I think's most impressive about Bennett, he didn't pitch in triple A before this season, so he's not a guy that had a lot of development time.
He had an injury in the past, and really an unknown commodity that's come up.
And I think, you know, the reassuring thing about him, his personality is very, very, calm, cool, collected.
I know that's a cliche phrase, but he's just always the same, always in the same mood, slow heartbeat, that kind of guy.
And, you know, the big moments haven't gotten to him.
So that's just, you know, been a great find for Craig Breslow.
Nobody knew anything about him when they got him in that weird trade for Luis Perales, but Bennett has been really an A+ so far, and you add that to what Suarez and Gray have been so far, what Tolley has been at his peak, what Early was for a bit.
And thanks to Jake Bennett, you know, they haven't missed a beat without Crochet rotation-wise, and I think that's really telling.
We'll get back to Crochet in just a second.
I mean, during the broadcast today also it was mentioned that John Henry, Craig Breslow were there to welcome the team back on Sunday when they returned from, that long win streak, at Fenway.
So Henry seems to be invested in the team, but how invested will Breslow be in the team as they get set for the trade deadline?
Here's the latest from Jeff Passan, writing today that, "For now, the Sox plans are fluid.
Boston isn't discounting pursuing help before August 3rd.
Red Sox also know that for an entire half of the season they personified mediocrity and that 15 games does not a season make.
So, like many others, they're weighing their options, knowing that if they stumble they can pivot into dump mode and make a killing with Chapman, as well as potentially Gray, Wilson Contreras, and Garrett Whitlock."
so I guess Jeff Passan kind of lays it out there.
There's still some wiggle room to, to figure out what this team is.
What are you doing right now, Chris Catillo?
What are you doing as they get set for the trade deadline?
Yeah, I think it's still complicated because there are ways you can improve this team on the positional player side very obviously.
There's some big fish out there, and I think, you know, the opportunity's there for them to make a move to add to their lineup, not just for the rest of this year, but for 2027 if there is a season, for 2028.
The reason I think that's important is 'cause the free agent class this year is horrible for bats.
Jazz Chisholm's, like, the best one.
It's not a market where you can go pay for a bat.
And so if a Byron Buxton is available or a CJ Abrams in a blockbuster, probably worth investigating now because the options aren't gonna be there in the winter.
And I think, honestly, that shouldn't preclude them from cashing in on a chip like Gray or Chapman.
They're in their late 30s, they've had unbelievable seasons so far, especially Gray, and I think you're gonna get a premium for those guys.
To me, if you move Gray and you have what Bennett's doing, what Tolley's been doing, maybe Crochet comes back, Suarez back healthy hopefully in the next week, you might have enough arms to survive without Gray.
You might have enough in the bullpen to survive with Whitlock closing instead of Chapman, too.
So if you get blown away with an offer for those guys, even though you are gonna buy and mainly buy, which they haven't declared yet of course, then I would still think about it.
So i- it's a cop-out to do a little of both sometimes.
They're just in such a unique situation where they can add a controllable bat.
I think they'll try to do that.
And then also if the prices get to a certain point, it would be stupid not to listen on Gray and Chapman considering what they are and their contracts and all that.
However, Chris, though, I, I push back on this and I say if they're in a spot where they can- Yeah make the playoffs, how are you then gonna get to October and not have one of the best closers in the game, and that's what Aroldis Chapman's been, and not have one of the most consistent starters- Yeah and that's what Sonny Gray has been.
I mean, it, what, what, what's, what's kind of- Yeah what's the point of the season if you're gonna get to it and they're playing as well as they are right now, and you're on the verge of making the playoffs, and then you trade away a couple of g- a couple of your, your main guys, two of your best pieces?
And then for a team that, you know, as far as public relations, w- the PR of that would just be brutal.
I mean, it feels like fans have finally moved away from the sell the team thing.
You're gonna go ahead and sell two of your best players for a team that is contending to make the playoffs?
I, I just don't know, I, I can't imagine them doing that.
Yeah, I think it would be, you know, a smart hedge honestly to, to do both.
But I think the PR reasons you just outlined, you know, might tell the whole story, where, Breslow's famous for in his deadlines so far, I think it was two years ago, he said, "We're gonna pick a lane, and we're gonna decide, and we're gonna choose either buying or selling.
We're not gonna middle it.
We're not gonna do a little of both," all that type of stuff.
So, I think that he'll probably- Have to decide between those two outcomes.
I just, you know, heart of hearts, I think the smart thing to do would be, a little buying, a little selling, set yourself up for next year in the lineup.
Move a piece of your roster that you can get by without, like I said, with Gray.
But easier said than done, as always this time of year.
Yeah, I, I just The, the other thing, too, is if you're trading, you know, Chapman and Gray, and you're just getting prospects, I think that's also, it's hard to swallow for fans because as we, we've seen- Yeah the, the prospects don't always pan out, so why would you take away from a team that feels like they have something going right now?
And again, there are a couple weeks left before the, before the trade deadline.
The, the return of Gerrit Cole, that could be another sort of issue here as you, you look at the trade deadline.
It does not appear that his return is happening any time soon.
Crochet was asked by WEI's Rob Bradford, what would be the turning point to resume throwing, and he said, quote, "To be honest, I'm not sure just because I'm not there yet.
You know, we're having conversations every week and evaluations about probably every 7 to 10 days, just kind of checking our work and making sure that we're still trending in the right direction.
We've been going that way for a while now.
Since stopping playos especially, I feel like I've seen drastic gains.
But as far as what makes you ready, I mean, I'm not an athletic trainer, so I don't really know."
How do you read into Gerrit Crochet and where he's at for trying to make a return here to factor into this team making the postseason?
It's been obviously a really slow and tough type of rehab for him.
The lat strain has been something that's obviously slowed him.
And he's had the shoulder thing be, kind of a consistent lack of strength, and the fatigue has set in.
So I think they were really expecting him to be out two or three weeks, and it's turned into much, much more.
So the fact that he's not throwing yet at all, that he's still just strengthening that shoulder, the fact that he's still just throwing plyometric balls, things like that, it's definitely concerning.
You know, he I don't think he's concerned about surgery.
A- and of course, you know, at this point with two months left, or two months and two weeks, it's all about the ramp up, and that's gonna be a slow progression.
You have to throw, you have to play catch, you have to get off the mound, you have to face hitters, rehab game, all that type of stuff.
So at this point, I don't know how much you can count on him to return and be the ace he was last year.
But like we've talked about, there's so many good starters in this rotation, and Bennett's done what he's done, to really kind of ease some of the concern about Crochet being out.
I think the good news today was that Suarez is gonna be back this week.
He's obviously pitched like an ace, too, just like Gray and the others.
So, i- it feels like obviously Crochet would be a boost, but this team has gotten by without him so far in the pitching department and, that's no small thing
