After a 10-game winning streak heading into the All-Star Break, the Boston Red Sox pushed their way into the heart of the Wild Card Race while firmly putting themselves into the buyer category at the trade deadline. They’ve climbed to five in run scored (498), with 125 home runs (9th), 477 RBIs (5th), and 85 stolen bases (6th).
The Red Sox have the 12th-best ERA (3.79) but rank 19th in WHIP (1.297). On the positive side, they’ve allowed only 97 home runs (sixth lowest total). Boston ranks fifth in bullpen ERA (3.45), helped by allowing the lowest home runs (28) in the majors. Their relievers have 21 wins, 21 losses, and 26 saves over their first 101 games.
Boston has a developing core of young, talented bats, so they must decide how much they want to push for a postseason spot in 2025, when their ultimate goal is to become a top team in the American League for the next three to five seasons after this year.
They could address their first base issue in the offseason by signing Pete Alonso when he opts out of his Mets contract. In addition, the Red Sox still have Triston Casas on their roster. Is he a buildable piece for their future or a trade commodity in late July?
The dilemma for Boston is whether to be patient with their talented prospects or turn up the throttle to build the front of their starting rotation.
I’m still convinced that Reid Detmers is going to be a difference-maker starting pitcher despite working out of the bullpen this year. He won’t be a free agent until 2029 (age 29), and his left arm has underachieved expectations over the past three seasons (11-21 with a 5.10 ERA, 1.423 WHIP, and 331 strikeouts over 280.1 innings).
Detmers had a brutal start to this year (16 runs, 28 baserunners, two home runs, and 14 strikeouts over 14.1 innings), but he has been electric since (1.20 ERA, 0.833 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts over 30.0 innings) working out of the Angels’ bullpen.
A Boston fan may not see the light, but Detmers brings a first-round pedigree (2020) while showcasing an elite strikeout rate (13.7) in the minors. His downfall early in his career has been home runs (1.8 per nine innings in the minors and 1.2 with Los Angeles).
I propose that the Red Sox offer Vaughn Grisson to the Angels for Reid Detmers, along with their choice of Connelly Early or Payton Tolle. I don’t like giving up talented pitchers, but a lot can go wrong in their development in a couple of seasons.
The growth of Detmers in the bullpen this year helps Boston in a relief role in 2025, with an eye on adding an impact arm to their rotation next season. He’s not the right-handed arm they need, but his ceiling has a special feel.
Here’s a look at a couple of talented left-handed arms that took time to develop:
Randy Johnson
Johnson was traded in-season to Seattle when he was 25. Over his first 33 games in the majors, he has a 4.48 ERA, 1.463 WHIP, and 155 strikeouts over 186.2 innings. Johnson went on to win 293 more games with a 3.24 ERA, 1.157 WHIP, and 4,720 strikeouts over 3,948.2 innings.
Andrew Miller
After the 2011 season, Miller was demoted from starting pitcher to the bullpen for the Red Sox. He opened up his major league career with a 5.79 ERA, 1.750 WHIP, and 288 strikeouts over 359.1 innings. Over the next six seasons, Miller went 26-15 with a 2.01 ERA, 0.892 WHIP, and 520 strikeouts over 332.0 innings with 51 saves. His career took a turn at age 27.
The most fantasy-relevant player in the trade would be Vaughn Grissom (unless Detmers was moved to a starting role), who should earn starting at-bats for the remainder of the season with the Angels. He projects to be an asset in batting average with a chance to develop into a 20/20 player. Grissom has played 1B (10), 2B (45), 3B (12), and SS (17) this year.
