The one player I would buy if I were the Red Sox

The Angels shook the baseball world yesterday by announcing they will be buyers instead of sellers as the trade deadline approaches. Many speculated that they would trade their superstar Shohei Ohtani as he approaches free agency. Instead, yesterday, they acquired Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Giolito was a much-coveted starting pitcher and is a major coup for the Angels. Lopez had a 2.76 ERA in 65.1 innings out of the bullpen last season.

The Angels are 2.5 games behind the Red Sox who are 1.5 games out of the final wild card. This should serve as a reminder for Sox fans that the Red Sox are not the only team chasing the final wild card spot. The Yankees, Mariners, and Indians are all also in the hunt, along with the Angels.

So I stand behind my position that the Red Sox should be sellers. Chaim Bloom in his weekly spot on WEEI hinted he may agree with me that this year has been a bonus, but the plan is to do things “the right way” and compete in 2024 and beyond. The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy came out with a column today agreeing with me saying that Red Sox should be sellers despite their recent hot streak. It is not something I am proud of being on an island with Shaughnessy, but it does show I am not alone.

So what I am about to write may sound hypocritical. While I don’t think the Red Sox should go on a buying spree, there is one player I would like to target to make the current team more interesting in August and September while we wait for 2024. That person is Marcus Stroman.

The diminutive Stroman has quietly been putting together a solid career. He has a player option for 2024 so will more than likely be a free agent after this season. He is currently 10-7 with a 3.51 ERA for the Chicago Cubs. The Red Sox recently visited the Cubs in Wrigley and lost to Stroman. Stroman went six strong innings in that one, giving up only one run on three hits.

The 32-year-old Stroman has had a lot of experience pitching in the competitive AL East. He came up through the Toronto Blue Jays’ farm system and pitched five full seasons for them, coming into the league at age 23. He knows what to expect. He has also pitched in New York with the Mets.

Stroman’s career win-loss record of 77-74 seems way out of line with his career ERA of 3.61. The Red Sox, in the absence of Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock, have been going to a three-man rotation consisting of James Paxton, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford.

The Red Sox could use another starting pitcher, but they have depth at their positional spots. In fact, that is where they should be selling from - like they already did with Kike Hernandez. Adam Duvall or Alex Verdugo should be on the trading block as well. There is no need to have two right-fielders, and the Braves may overvalue and overpay for a former player of theirs.

I know I sound like what Bloom tried to do last year with being a buyer and seller at the deadline and that didn’t work out well. But Bloom may have learned his lesson. Maybe I haven't. Maybe that is why he is not outright coming out and saying the Red Sox are going to be buyers or sellers. Like he said, the playoff picture can change quickly in a week. But acquiring Stroman while selling off some other pieces can allow Bloom to continue to grow the team “the right way” while also allowing themselves to make a little noise in 2023.