On Tuesday, the day of the All-Star Game and the final day of the amateur draft, the clock will start ticking louder: two weeks to go before the MLB trade deadline.
With the draft behind them, teams will begin turning their attention to what moves they can make to improve themselves for the final two months of the regular season.
Some will have their eyes on improving for the long run, too, with the news that the Washington Nationals intend to entertain offers for outfielder Juan Soto, arguably the game's finest hitter.
The Red Sox do not appear to be one of those teams.
Across the industry, speculation has centered on a handful of big-market teams, who might have the right combination of prospect inventory and financial wherewithal to sign Soto to what is almost certainly going to be the biggest contract in the sport's history.
The list is headed by the usual suspects: the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with the uber-aggressive San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
The Red Sox, if they're mentioned at all, are considered decided longshots. When they're included, it's because of their market size and current payroll, along with an improved farm system. But no one regards the Red Sox as likely bidders.
And that's sad.
Admittedly, the timing isn't great for the Red Sox. They have a few of their own stars nearing free agency. Xander Bogaerts can opt out of his current deal after this season, and J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, Christian Vazquez and Michael Wacha are all eligible for free agency in November. And unless he's signed to an extension over the next eight months or so, Rafael Devers will be a free agent after 2023.
So, the Red Sox have their hands full. Retaining Bogaerts and Devers would cost in excess of $500 million, no small commitment.
But then again, a number of the teams thought to be in the running for Soto also have some key players on the verge of free agency. The Yankees have been unable to extend Aaron Judge, and the Mets have to worry about Jacob deGrom opting out after the current season. But that's not stopping them from also considering a bid for Soto.
The fact that the Sox aren't seen as serious players for one of the handful of best players in the game is an indictment of team ownership and management. This is not the Kansas City Royals or the Pittsburgh Pirates we're talking about here. The Red Sox are one of a choice few highly profitable, big-market teams charging among the highest ticket prices in the game.
With that, comes a certain responsibility: to assemble the best team possible, and to explore every potential avenue toward that goal.
That's what the Red Sox once did -- remember?
In the 1970s, when Charlie Finley was attempting to sell off pieces of the Oakland A's, the Red Sox bought Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi. (The deal was nullified two days later by commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who cited his "best interests in the game,'' to void that transaction, along with the Yankees' acquisition of Vida Blue).
A generation later, the Red Sox spent weeks attempting to figure out how to land Alex Rodriguez, before ultimately having the deal collapse. They signed big-name free agents like Manny Ramirez, David Price and many others. Some contracts worked out, some didn't. But the Red Sox were involved. They tried.
Sadly, that seems like a bygone era. Forget pursuing stars elsewhere; the Red Sox seem almost disinterested in retaining their own premier players. Mookie Betts rejected multiple salary proposals and was ultimately dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a package of three players, who, to date, have not come close to bringing the Sox equal value.
Then, this past spring, the team seemed to make things worse with below-market deals presented to Devers and Bogaerts. In both cases, the Sox seemed more interested in letting it become public knowledge that the offers had been made, without much regard to how they were received by the players in question.
It was seemingly more important to win the PR battle than it was to get either player extended.
A case could be made that a deal for Soto doesn't make sense -- in terms of baseball or business. Acquiring him would almost certainly involve surrendering Triston Casas, Marcelo Mayer and Brayan Bello - plus more. That, in turn, would guarantee you no more than two-and-a-third seasons of Soto, whom you would then have to extend for another 10 years and something close to $500 million.
Trading for Soto might effectively mean that neither Bogaerts or Devers would be retained. Even for big-market teams, there are budgets to observe and numbers beyond which a team shouldn't go.
But the fact that the Red Sox aren't so much as contemplating making a call to the Nationals to see what the asking price would be is a depressing one.
There was a time -- and not that long ago -- when the Sox would have absolutely inquired. Because that's what the top organizations do.
Now, sadly, the Red Sox are content to accumulate prospects, warily eye the bottom line and pretend that such calls aren't worth making anymore.