McAdam: Three Red Sox thoughts on a Thursday

One city down, two to go for the Red Sox, on their last 10-game road trip of the season:

Some thoughts:

1. Machado unlikely deadline target

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic speculated Thursday that the Red Sox could be a darkhorse contender for All-Star third baseman Manny Machado, who is eligible for free agency after this season and is almost certain to be dealt off in the next few weeks by the lowly Orioles.

Rosenthal notes the Red Sox president of baseball operations often seeks to make big deals and likes to obtain stars. And adding Machado, even for just a few months, would enhance the Red Sox' chances of winning the World Series at a time when Dave Dombrowski is clearly charged with such a task, following two successive quick exits in the last two postseasons.

But the Orioles' asking price for Machado will, understandably, be sky high and Rosenthal notes that it could cost the Sox Rafael Devers as part of the package. From the Orioles standpoint, they would be obtaining a talented power-hitting 21-year-old infielder, whom they would then control through 2023.

From the Red Sox' perspective, however, the deal makes little sense — even if Dombrowski is in full riverboat gambler mode. It would be one thing to sacrifice the next five and a half seasons of Devers if, say, the Sox were getting Machado for this season and next. That would give them two cracks at winning a title with Machado in the lineup, joining fellow MVP candidates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.

But for a two- or three-and-a-half month rental? It makes little sense.

First, third base is not exactly currently a black hole for the Sox. Yes, Devers has struggled with 13 errors and, after a terrific start to the season, has been maddeningly inconsistent at times at the plate. But he does have 10 homers. Moreover, for all his streakiness, Devers hasn't held back a Red Sox offense which ranks first in runs scored and second in OPS in all of MLB.

Would Machado, returning to third base, represent an upgrade, both offensively and defensively, compared to Devers? Of course. But is it an upgrade the Red Sox desperately need? No.

Most of all, the loss of Devers would violate the Sox' philosophy of trying to win both now and maintain a winning roster for the future. It would assume that Michael Chavis, currently serving an 80-game suspension for a PED violation, could handle that position going forward, a gambit all the more risky in the wake of his positive test.

2. The going is about to get tough.

The Red Sox had a cakewalk with their schedule over the last couple of weeks, fed a steady diet of non-contenders, with consecutive series against the Tigers, White Sox and Orioles, a stretch that saw the Sox go 6-3.

Now, the schedule turns far more challenging, beginning Thursday night with the first of four against the streaking (19-5) Seattle Mariners, currently battling Houston for supremacy in the A.L. West.

After four at Safeco Field, the opposition eases up somewhat with the underachieving Minnesota Twins. But then, the Sox return home for another three with Seattle, followed by a visit from the Los Angeles Angels, leading up to a road trip that begins with series against the Yankees and Nationals.

In short, 16 of the Red Sox' next 19 games will come against teams expected to be playoff contenders for the remainder of the season. By the time the Red Sox arrive at a day off on July 5 and shift into a far easier stretch that has them closing out the first half with 10 straight against losing teams (Kansas City, Texas and Toronto), we'll know a lot more about where they stand and what their needs are.

3. Bullpen doing just fine

The loss of Carson Smith -- who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday in New York -- seemed like a significant blow last month. When Smith blew out his shoulder in frustration in the dugout last month, it appeared as though the Sox had lost a big piece of their late-inning, high leverage weaponry.

Instead, Smith's absence has hardly registered. The Red Sox have the third-best bullpen ERA (2.98) n the American League, just a tick behind No. 1 Houston (2.94) and second-ranked New York (2.96). Opposing hitters are batting just .217 against Red Sox relievers, ranking them second behind the Yankees (.201) in that category.

It's likely that Dombrowski will search for reinforcements at the deadline; rare is the contender which doesn't at least effort to improve their bullpen at the deadline.

The Sox should be somewhat wary of the workload being placed on both Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes as the principal high-leverage options. Perhaps in the next few weeks, Heath Hembree, who, since May 13, has made 13 appearances with a 1.46 ERA and a 20/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last 12.1 innings, can continue to gain Alex Cora's trust, and Brandon Workman can further emerge.

For now, there's no present need to do anything with the bullpen.