ShareThisThe goal is always the same with the Boston Red Sox. The end result should be a World Series championship, and ownership and baseball operations personnel try to put the best team on the field to accomplish that.
From the offseason through October, the plan never deviates. It just so happens that it's magnified a little more this time of the year.
Major League Baseball's trade deadline is Friday at 4 p.m. (Eastern), and Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and his staff are doing everything possible to improve the current roster. He's attempting to do so without sacrificing the future, too.
In the weeks leading up to the deadline, there can be a lot of anxiety for some players in the clubhouse, and on the field, not knowing if they'll remain Red Sox. Manager Terry Francona has experienced that first-hand since he became skipper in 2004. He says he's used to the dynamic, but every year presents different challenges to keep the peace.
"I don't know if it gets easier, but the more experience you have in one place, you do use it to your advantage," he said. "I think it's harder on the players. There's a lot of uncertainty this week, and it's part of what makes Boston so special. We seem to be a player in everything. That doesn't mean we're going after 11 guys, but because of who we are and what has been created here through ownership, we are a player in a lot of things. As soon as someone's name is out there, Boston's attached to it."
Francona will sometimes talk with players to calm them down about reports of trades, telling them to stay in the moment and concentrate on each day's game.
After beating Oakland, 8-3, on Monday night, the Red Sox were 4-6 since the All-Star break. So tension in the clubhouse isn't all a result of the deadline, but also linked to the lack of offense of late.
"This has generally been a tough week for us since I've been here," said Francona, referring to the week before the deadline.
Since Francona took over, in 2004, the Red Sox have hovered around .500 for the month of July.
Boston was 14-12 in July 2004 (and 5-2 the week leading up to the July 31 deadline), 14-13 (6-1) in 2005, 15-12 (4-3) in 2006, 15-12 (4-3) in 2007, and 11-13 (2-5) in 2008.
Epstein and company have proved over the last few years that they're not afraid to pull the trigger on big-time deals. In 2004 Boston dealt Nomar Garciaparra as part of a four-team deal and received Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera. The 2005 and 2006 deadlines were quiet, but in 2007 Boston dealt prospects David Murphy, Kason Gabbard and Engel Beltre to the Rangers in exchange for reliever Eric Gagne.
Then, of course, last July the Red Sox combined for a three-team trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and brought Jason Bay from the Pirates.
Epstein has been working the phones this summer and has already acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Pirates in exchange for a pair of prospects: shortstop Argenis Diaz and pitcher Hunter Strickland.
He's probably not done.
The problem, however -- and it's a good one to have -- is that Epstein has completely rebuilt Boston's development system and doesn't want to drain it in order to get a superstar player for the short term.
"If they think they can improve what we're doing they will, but not at the expense (of too many prospects)," said Francona. "We're in a unique position here and I actually love it. We seem to be a player in a lot of things because of who we are, but at the same time we love what we're doing with our younger players."
As Francona put it, the organization doesn't trade out of necessity, but rather to build on what it already has in place.
"We like the mixture and we like having our young guys come through, so we're trying to balance that," said Francona.
With only a couple of days remaining until the deadline, and whether Epstein once again pulls the trigger on a big-time deal, you can bet he's busy doing something.
"We're not the biggest city in the country, but we're a major market in baseball," said Francona. "That's because we have great fans and great ownership, and we have more money than a lot of teams can spend."
(Contact Joe McDonald at jmcdonal(at)projo.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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