The Boston Red Sox are in one of those weird positions as we brace ourselves for the month of June.
Through 59 games, the team is just 30-29 and 8.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the American League East lead.
It’s been kind of a “something new every night” type of season for the 2019 Boston Red Sox. One night it’s the starting pitching. The next night, it’s the offense. Then it’s the defense’s turn the next night. And of course, last but not least, it’s the bullpen’s turn to cost the Red Sox a win.
That being said, when Dave Dombrowski is at the helm in regards to roster construction, you can count on the Red Sox being buyers at this year’s deadline as long as they are within striking distance of a playoff spot.
Who could the Red Sox President be eyeing this summer?
In recent years, we’ve seen Dombrowski go out and acquire guys that used to play for him in Detroit, whether that be signing David Price in the winter prior to the 2016 season, or trading for Ian Kinsler last year.
So it should come as no surprise that one of his trade targets this year is a current Detroit Tiger who once played under him in Shane Greene.
The Tigers organization, along with their fans, have been waiting for the now-30-year-old right-hander to showcase his full potential and, while not fully showing up until his sixth season, it’s in time for the Tigers rebuild.
Through 24 appearances this season, Greene is 0-2 with a 1.13 ERA in 24 innings pitched. He’s also notched a league-leading 18 saves for the otherwise bottom-feeding Tigers.
Where does he fit on the Red Sox?
A lot of flack has been given to the Red Sox for, not only deciding against a Craig Kimbrel reunion but also having no clear-cut replacement for him. There’s been a bit of a revolving door in the ninth inning, whether that be Matt Barnes, Marcus Walden, Ryan Brasier, or Brandon Workman.
Adding Greene can do one of two things:
- Give Alex Cora a legit closer to hand the ninth inning to.
- Give Alex Cora another high-leverage pitcher, so guys like Barnes and Workman don’t get overworked in the first half of the season.
What would it take to get him?
Since Greene is now 30 and only under team control for one more season, it shouldn’t cost the Red Sox too much to acquire him. An ideal package could be:
Red Sox get: RHP Shane Greene
Tigers get: 3B Danny Diaz, RHP Mike Shawaryn, international signing pool money
Diaz has a high ceiling and is one of the younger prospects in all of baseball. However, with the likes of Devers, Chavis, Dalbec, and Casas in the organization ahead of him, it seems as though Diaz is blocked unless he learns a new position.
As far as Shawaryn goes? He’s a solid pitcher, or at least was at the start of 2019. The 3.72 ERA looks good on paper, but Shawaryn’s ERA over his last four starts before being called up was 5.59. Combine that with a BB/9 at a career-high of 4.5 in the minors and that’s a recipe for an expendable pitching prospect.
In return? The Red Sox get arguably the top relief weapon to hit the trade market this season, and for relatively cheap. They can remedy their bullpen to at least be more fearsome to opponents, and round each other’s roles into shape for the playoffs should they get there.
