Chicago Cubs: 3 trade deadline sellers to partner with
By Ryan Heckman
2. Boston Red Sox
What a fall from grace. The Boston Red Sox have become the butt of baseball’s jokes this season, boasting the league’s second-worst record overall at 10-21 (just behind the 9-19 Pittsburgh Pirates).
When asked which teams should be trade deadline sellers on Friday, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle had this much to say: “The Red Sox are and should be. What a mess.” That’s it. That’s the analysis for Boston. It doesn’t take many words to describe the atrocity the Red Sox have become.
One of the targets for Chicago, in terms of the Red Sox relievers, should be Phillips Valdez. He has had a strong start to the 2020 season after bouncing around a little bit last year. Funny enough, the Red Sox actually claimed Valdez off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners in February.
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Prior to the 2020 campaign, Valdez only had 11 games of Major League experience. To date, he has put up a solid season: 18.1 IP, 17 hits, 2 ER, 17 K, 5 BB, a 0.98 ERA and a WHIP of 1.20.
To be frank, Valdez is probably the only relief pitcher the Cubs would target if they chose to deal with the Red Sox. The remainder of Boston’s bullpen is just as bad as the Cubs’ pen — and that’s bad.