Red Sox Trade Deadline: The latest on Edwin Diaz and other options

For a team whose chief front office executive said only a week ago didn't have "a lot of needs, per se,'' the Red Sox sure seem to be active with the trade deadline drawing closer.

According to multiple sources, the Red Sox are involved in a number of discussions with teams, almost all of it centered, not surprisingly, on bullpen help.

The Red Sox have done well in the first half of their 14-game stretch against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees, winning each of the first two series and going 5-2, with three more games coming with the Rays starting Tuesday and a four-game rematch set for this weekend in New York.

"Our play the last week has been encouraging and we are playing for a postseason spot,'' Red Sox president of operations Dave Dombrowski wrote in an email. "We will try to upgrade our club if possible. (However) there are still limitations on the type of moves we would make while still trying to upgrade our club.''

But even as the Red Sox thrust themselves into the wild-card picture and cut into the Yankees' lead in the A.L. East, the bullpen remains an obvious weakness.

For the season, the Red Sox have a 4.54 bullpen ERA, ranking them 19th in MLB. During the recent seven-game stretch, even with the offense performing at a near-record pace, they've still had difficulty closing out games. Nathan Eovaldi, whose return from the Injured List and move to the bullpen was supposed to be a boost, has been knocked around for nine hits and five on just 2.2 innings in three low-leverage appearances.

Heath Hembree, meanwhile, has allowed runs in two of his last four appearances and while Matt Barnes has bounced back from a horrid month of June, the Sox seem intent on limiting his appearances -- as well as the length of his outings -- in order for him to stay fresh.

The Sox have been linked to a list of available relievers, including San Francisco's Will Smith, who is one of the most sought-after relievers on the market. But because the interest is great in Smith -- a lefty who is on an expiring deal -- the bidding may get too rich. The Giants have other relievers on the market, too, including fellow lefty Tony Watson and right-hander Sam Dyson.

The Sox inquired about both Smith and Watson at the deadline last season.

One baseball executive familiar with the talks said Monday that the Red Sox were "on the outside looking in,'' and termed the likelihood of a Sox-Giants deal a "questionable probability.''

One intriguing name that has surfaced in the last 24 hours is Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets. As recently as last Friday, after the Mets had made it clear to teams that they would at least listen on the reliever, the Red Sox hadn't checked in, according to an industry source.

But that changed over the weekend with some contact between the teams as the Mets attempt to both buy (they landed Marcus Stroman) and sell (Diaz, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler) at the same time.

The Red Sox talked to Seattle last winter when Diaz was being shopped, but wouldn't take the remainder of Robinson Cano's contract, a prerequisite for the budget-slashing Mariners.

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted late Monday afternoon that the Red Sox are "the suitors most invested in the chase.''

Diaz, who has had a hugely disappointing first season with the Mets, would require a big acquisition cost since he remains under control through 2022 and is making little money. It would almost certainly require at least one (if not more) of the organization's top prospects — say, first baseman Tristan Casas, third baseman Bobby Dalbec or righthander Bryan Mata.

Giving up any of those premium young players would further thin out the Sox' prospect inventory, something the Sox have been loathe to do. But the notion of obtaining a premium closer with three more years of control would make such a deal more palatable.

Diaz, 25, has pitched poorly in New York (1-6, 4.95 with four blown saves), but he's also been uncommonly unlucky (BABIP: .398) and only a year ago, while with the Seattle Mariners, he saved 57 games with a 1.96 ERA and a .791 WHP, he was considered the best young relief pitcher in the game.

Diaz is from Puerto Rico and attended high school in manager Alex Cora's hometown and also pitched for the Puerto Rican WBC team for which Cora served as general manager.

The Mets obtained Diaz in a mega-deal with the Seattle Mariners

If the Red Sox are engaged on Diaz, it stands to reason they may also be talking to the Pittsburgh Pirates about lefty closer Felipe Vazquez, who has 79 saves over the last three seasons and is signed to a team-friendly deal. Vazquez is making $4.5 million this year, $5.75 million next year and $7.75 million in 2021. The Pirates also have two option years at $10 million each for both 2022 and 2023.

That would give an acquiring team the possibility of four more years of control beyond the current season.