McAdam: Time for Red Sox' bold bullpen move is now - not this winter

Not surprisingly, the situation surrounding the Red Sox' efforts to obtain bullpen help leading up to Wednesday afternoon's deadline has been fluid.

For a time Monday, the consensus around the game was that the Sox were the likely destination for New York Mets' closer Edwin Diaz — if the Mets decided to move him at all, that is.

But by Monday night and Tuesday morning, that narrative had changed: the Sox found the Mets' asking price for Diaz to be prohibitive and while they maintained contact with the Mets, had moved on to other potential targets.

"It sounds like they'll do something,'' said an evaluator from another team, "because you hear that they're talking to a lot of teams. And I think it's (Dave) Dombrowski's nature to make some kind of move. But I don't think it will be anything dramatic.''

Similar sentiments were echoed by others: the Sox have inquired about enough different relievers that they're bound to end up with someone.

But unlike Monday, when it seemed like the Sox were intent on doing something of significance, their sights have been lowered. Instead of Diaz, think: Toronto's Daniel Hudson, Baltimore's Mychal Givens or Arizona's Andrew Chafin.

Such an addition will represent a modest upgrade for the Red Sox and have the effect of perhaps forcing someone like Colten Brewer off the major league roster. The bullpen will be deeper and at least somewhat improved.

But it's also unlikely to make a significant impact on the 2019 Red Sox. Adding another quality eighth-inning option might improve the team's pitching depth and help them over the hump in their chase for one of the two wildcard spots.

However, it's not going to lift them from postseason participant to postseason favorite. By taking an incremental step forward in upgrading their bullpen, the Red Sox are likely consigning themselves to, at best a Division Series exit.

It doesn't have to be this way.

The Sox remain a flawed team. While their offense has been terrorizing opponents for the past six weeks, the starting rotation remains a crapshoot. But there's at least precedent for improvement. If Chris Sale pitches more like he did in his previous two starts than he did Sunday night, Eduardo Rodriguez continues pitching as he has almost all season, and David Price straightens out from July funk, the rotation could be formidable in October.

And should the Sox go bold -- say, Diaz, or Pittsburgh's Felipe Vazquez -- there's a scenario where they could become a postseason force.

It's a seller's market for now, with far more teams in playoff contention seeking pitching upgrades and a handful of teams demanding a huge return for the arms they're marketing.

(One industry source said last night that the Red Sox remain fixated on San Francisco's lefty closer Will Smith, but have balked at the exorbitant price being asked for a rental).

So, yes, bullpen help will not come cheaply. It seldom does.

But here's the thing: eventually, the Red Sox are going to have to address what they tried to ignore all of last offseason -- the gaping hole at the back end of their staff. It was one thing not to replace the inconsistent Joe Kelly, but to think that they could allow Craig Kimbrel to walk without accounting for his high-leverage innings was folly.

If the Red Sox don't address that need by 4 p.m. Wednesday, the team will likely have a short postseason — that is, if it qualifies for the playoffs at all.

And then, the Red Sox are going to have to pay big bucks for a free agent reliever (Smith, Dellin Betances) or trade some young talent to get one. Clearly, they can't go a second straight winter without plugging that hole.

So why not pay the price now and have that reliever early, in time to perhaps make a difference this October?

Sure, Diaz will be pricey, and could cost someone from the major league roster and a top prospect, or perhaps two top prospects. But if the Sox try to deal for him in November or December, the cost is still going to be huge.

A deal now gives the Sox another kick at the can, a chance to properly defend the World Series title they won last October. It's doubtful they can replicate the strategy they used last year when they employed the "rover'' concept -- inserting starters in high leverage spots to augment their cast of relievers.

It's clear that Nathan Eovaldi alone isn't the answer. And neither will a smaller-scale deal for the likes of Hudson or Chafin.

The Sox need to make a bold stroke Wednesday, and get a preemptive start on remaking their bullpen for 2020.