The trade that sent sent catcher Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros Monday did a lot of things.
1) It weakened the Red Sox at a critical position even though the team is, at least nominally, attempting to focus its energy on remaining in contention for the 2022 postseason.
2) Upended the Red Sox clubhouse, which had been under the belief that the Sox would be trying to improve. Vazquez was not only a good catcher -- defensively and offensively -- but also a popular personality.
3) Further reduced, along with the release of Jackie Bradley Jr. just days later, the number of players on the roster who were around for the Sox' world championship team.
Now that Vazquez and Bradley are gone, the Red Sox have just seven players remaining from the 2018 postseason roster: Matt Barnes, Xander Bogaerts, Ryan Brasier, Rafael Devers, Nathan Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale.
Of those seven, only Barnes, Devers and Sale seem guaranteed to be with the Sox in spring training. Barnes' decline, coupled with his contract for 2023 ($7.5 million, with a $2.25 million buyout on a 2024 option) makes him virtually untradeable. The same can be said for Sale, though there is at least the potential for future contributions if the lefty can stay healthy.
Eovaldi, Martinez and Bogaerts (effectively, with an opt-out) are all eligible for free agency and could sign elsewhere while Brasier, arbitration-eligible coming off a poor season, is a definite non-tender candidate.
Gone, meanwhile: Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, Heath Hembree, Sandy Leon, Mitch Moreland, David Price, and Blake Swihart, all of whom were traded; Brock Holt, Joe Kelly, Craig Kimbrel, Ian Kinsler, Steve Pearce, Drew Pomeranz, Rick Porcello, and Eduardo Rodriguez, all of whom left via free agency. And Eduardo Nunez, who was released.
Change is inevitable in the game, but never more than in 2022. Even the most successful teams -- as the powerhouse Red Sox certainly were in 2018 -- have significant roster churn from year-to-year. Even core groups who achieve great accomplishments are subject to massive turnover. As teams strive for maximum efficiency through analytics, all but a handful of players become replaceable parts.
The middle class free agents have become fungible, especially with the trend toward going with younger (and far cheaper) prospects. (Again, this happens with all teams, not just the Red Sox.)
"At the end of the day, it's a business, right?'' said Barnes philosophically. "People are going to make decisions and push the team in directions that they want to go. You see it every year. Every year, there's a handful of trades where you're like, 'Well, I didn't see that coming.' Or, 'Well, that makes sense.' It's crazy, but it's the kind of world we live in.
"You don't see guys stay with a team as long as they used to, no matter where you are or what team you're playing for. The number of guys who spend their whole career has got to be down drastically from 20 years ago. I don't know what the numbers are, but just being an observer of the league (you can see that).''
Barnes is disappointed that the 2018 team, which won 108 regular season games, then went 11-3 in the postseason, couldn't stay together longer.
"Of course,'' he said. "Listen, we had a really, really good team that year. Obviously, things didn't go as well as we had planned or hoped in 2019. Maybe if we played a little bit better and done more, it would have stayed together. I don't know. But I understand the business side of it -- it's not sustainable to have a $230 million payroll every single year. But it's definitely tough. You spend a lot of time with these guys, you get close to them and they become your second family. Unfortunately, the business side of baseball, more times than not, is going to take one of your guys or a bunch of your guys in different directions.
"It doesn't make it any easier. It's just that, the more you play, the more you kind of become numb to it, and kind of get used to it.''
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Here are one MLB's internal scouting reports on the two prospects the Red Sox acquired from Houston in exchange for catcher Christian Vazquez:
OF Wiley Abreu: "A fourth outfielder unless he can cut down on his K rate...Works hard, can fill three positions...Solid speed with gap power...capable of getting on-base, but has just enough power to be detrimental...Energetic with good habits.
INF Enmannuel Valdez: "Comp: Isaac Paredes (of the Tampa Bay Rays)...An on-base approach with contact gap and fence pop....More of a super utility type who can play multiple positions...Won't strike out as much as Abreu, yet doesn't have Abreu's speed, which will force him to supply pop playing an offensive position...Fair overall instincts, but can have some lapses trying to be aggressive at the wrong time.
Conclusion: "Both sound like good complementary kids, with Valdez rated ahead of Abreu.''
Not exactly an overwhelming return for the Red Sox, it would seem
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A few days later, a scoreboard from the trade deadline:
WINNERS
San Diego Padres: In one of the biggest deadline deals of all time, they stripped their system to land arguably the game's best hitter in Juan Soto, and also landed a run-producer at first (Josh Bell) and a dominant closer (Josh Hader)
New York Yankees: They added, among others, a leadoff hitter/outfielder (Andrew Benintendi), a brilliant center fielder, though one currently injured (Harrison Bader) and arguably the second-best starter on the market (Frankie Montas).
Minnesota Twins: Derek Falvey is one of the game's most underrated executives. He landed two bullpen pieces (closer Jorge Lopez, with two more years of control after this one, and Michael Fulmer) along with a mid-rotation starter in Tyler Mahle.
Philadelphia Phillies: Dealin' Dave Dombrowski got a starter (Noah Syndergaard), a closer (David Robertson) and young outfielder (Brandon Marsh), and save for catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe, didn't surrender much. That should be enough for the Phils to get a wild-card spot.
LOSERS
Chicago White Sox: When you're in the wild card chase and Jake Diekman is your lone acquisition of note, that kind of says it all, no?
Chicago Cubs: When the buzzer sounded, the Cubs were left with two highly coveted chips: catcher Willson Contreras and outfielder Ian Happ. For a team hopelessly out of contention, why?
Toronto Blue Jays: This was supposed to be the Jays' go-for-it season. So why was their biggest acquisition a declining Whit Merrifield?
Red Sox: Sure, they found themselves in an awkward spot -- not good enough to go for it, but not bad enough to warrant a full-blown sell-off. Eric Hosmer and Tommy Pham are useful complementary pieces to help them stay in the race, but days later, I still don't get the Vazquez for mid-level prospects trade.
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One fallout from the trade deadline that's gone mostly unnoticed is that it seems almost certain that the Red Sox are positioned to finish the year over the CBT (competitive balance tax), which, of course, has ramifications for the off-season and beyond.
According to an industry source, the Red Sox now sit approximately $5-6 million over the first CBT threshold of $230 million.
Had the Red Sox dealt away Martinez or Eovaldi -- along with Vazquez -- they might have stood a chance of getting under the threshold. But with the team ultimately stopping short of a full-scale sell-off, that won't be happening.
The last chance the Sox had of getting closer came and went when they released Bradley Had someone claimed Bradley, it would moved the Sox closer to the threshold. Then again, given Bradley's offensive performance this season, that was never going to happen. Instead, he was released outright, and is now free to sign elsewhere for the pro-rated minimum. The Red Sox will remain responsible for the remaining $3.6 million or so.
(Even if Bradley had been claimed, the Sox would have needed to find another $2 million to lop off their payroll to get under the CBT).
Now, with the trade deadline complete, there's no feasible way to trim additional payroll.
What does this mean going forward? Quite a bit.
It's expected that in November, the Red Sox will make qualifying offers to both Martinez and Eovaldi, giving them some protection should either leave via free agency. But if Martinez and Eovaldi are qualified and sign elsewhere, the draft picks due to the Sox in compensation will now come after the fourth round rather than the second.
That isn't nothing, but it's not the kind of draft pick haul the Sox would have received had they managed to get under the CBT. Additionally, the Sox stand to lose $500,000 in international free agent bonus pool money. And should the Sox sign a qualified free agent, they'll have to give up both a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick. (Under the CBT, they would forfeit only the second-rounder).
And there's this: of the half-dozen teams who figure to be over the CBT this year -- the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Phillies and Red Sox -- the Red Sox figure to be the only team that doesn't reach the post-season.
It's one thing to pay the tax (and suffer the consequences) when you qualify for October and make a deep run at a championship. But the Sox now run the risk of being over the CBT and finishing last in their division. That's an ominous distinction, and for Bloom, not a good look.
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Fans on the East Coast tend to be a little parochial about their baseball. Generally speaking, fans in the East tend to be more hardcore about their teams, who have longer histories and legacies.
Then again, East Coast fans (mostly) missed out on the pleasures of listening to a true master at work -- Vin Scully providing play-by-play for the local team. (Scully's work, of course, could be heard periodically on national broadcasts on NBC).
Scully's calls were pure poetry. Check out his ninth inning call of Sandy Koufax's perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965.
Scully, working solo as he preferred to do, paints a vivid picture of an impossible tense moment, noting, with a reporter's detail, the nervousness the pitcher is experiencing on the mound, while using the language masterfully.
Of a close pitch that was called a ball by the home plate umpire, Scully notes the dissatisfaction of the fans: "A lot of people in the ballpark now are starting to see the pitches with their hearts.''
Of the attendance, he says: "There's 29,000 people in the ballpark and a million butterflies.''
Finally of the escalating tension, Scully intones: "I would think that the mound at Dodger Stadium right now is the loneliest place in the world.''
It's a master class in broadcasting, as Scully provides just enough detail to make you feel like you're seeing the moment -- the ultimate accomplishment for a play-by-play announcer.
For Red Sox fans of a certain age, it was Scully narrating the horror that unfolded at Shea Stadium in Game 6 of the World Series ("a little roller up along first..behind the bag...IT GETS THROUGH BUCKNER!....Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!''), but don't hold that against him.
I had the great good fortune to meet Scully a few times, and I can confirm what every single person who ever had the same privilege will say: he was as nice and humble and welcoming as he was great at his job.
RIP to the best to ever do it.