Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox, who had positioned themselves to have a real shot at a postseason berth, hitched all their hopes to a 35-year-old starting pitcher prior to the trade deadline.
It appears that, predictably, it has blown up in their face.
Another ill-timed flat series against the Houston Astros was made worse when James Paxton, the lone starter Breslow traded for prior to the deadline, came up limping after throwing only five pitches in Sunday’s series finale.
“Felt like I got kicked in the calf,” Paxton told reporters after the game. “Then I kind of turned around, took another step and I felt it again. I was like ‘Oh, it’s not good. It’s my calf.’ (I) felt it pop.”
James Paxton’s day is done after five pitches. FIVE. pic.twitter.com/KTlzK6MrmK
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) August 11, 2024
Paxton clutched at his right calf after making a move to cover first base on a ground ball by Yordan Alvarez. The big left-hander slowly limped off the mound, giving way to the bullpen — and another disastrous day for the Boston pitching staff.
Red Sox pitchers — including fellow trade deadline acquisitions Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia — gave up a combined 10 runs on 13 hits, including three home runs. On the whole, Boston was outscored 23-10 during the three-game series sweep.
“The boys, they battled today,” Alex Cora said. “Guys pitching in different roles and (we) extended them. We had to somehow, some way, get 27 outs, right. Obviously the score is the score, but we were in survival mode from the get-go.”
As for Paxton, the team announced the injury was a strained right calf and that further imaging would ensue.
It’s not Paxton’s fault, and you can’t help but feel badly for him. This is a guy who has worked hard to overcome many an injury and seemed poised for redemption after a couple of solid starts in his return to Boston.
“Yeah, it hurts,” Paxton said. “I was feeling really good, was really looking forward to helping this team get where they wanted to go. Hopefully, I can come back here at some point before the end (of the season).”
I certainly have no interest in taking a victory lap over this, nor do I really feel like playing the “I told you so” game with Breslow and the front office.
The facts, however, are the facts…
It was just plain unwise to bring in only one starter — and one just as close to 40 years old as he is 30 — to be the savior of your pitching staff at the deadline. This team needed another starter, and certainly one with more tread left on the tires.
Now, figuring that Paxton will be out at least one start — probably a couple, and it’s certainly not a stretch to wonder if he’ll pitch again at all in 2024, the Sox are back to square one. And that square is currently a house on fire…
Kutter Crawford’s struggles and empty tank have been well documented in this space.
Tanner Houck has struggled since the All-Star break, although he did provide some reason for hope with a solid six-inning, one-run outing in Friday’s series opener that was later blown by the ‘pen — particularly Sims.
Nick Pivetta in the second half has been what he’s always been — inconsistent. And Brayan Bello is a young pitcher who’s still trying to figure things out.
If Breslow really believed Paxton was the glue that would hold this thing together, well… that’s a strike in his “smartest guy in the room” reputation.
More realistically, though, it goes back to what I wrote after the Sox’s tame deadline. Breslow and the front office “believed” in this team, but only a little. Just enough to get some new warm bodies in the building
And if you add in the fact that the offense has only pushed across 3 1/2 runs per game during this four-game losing streak, we’re looking at the reality that Breslow and company most likely believe in their heart of hearts…
This team has been playing on borrowed time, and the wheels were on the verge of coming off.
That isn’t a reality that had to be the case, but it’s one that the team’s management locked in with their measured action at the deadline. There were impact players to be had at prices that weren’t prohibitive.
Instead, the Sox brass decided that this team wasn’t really worth investing in…
One step closer
One door — the hopes and dreams of the 2024 Red Sox, to be exact — might be in the process of closing, but another is on the verge of being busted open.
After Sunday’s flatline performance, the attention of Red Sox Nation quickly shifted about 45 miles west of Fenway Park.
At long last, we learned, the perceived saviors of the organization — Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel — were making their way to Polar Park after being promoted to Triple-A Worcester.
Not just one, not just two, but all three at once.
The #RedSox future is about to be a phone call away.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 11, 2024
After dominating at Double-A Portland, Boston's top three prospects -- Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel -- are headed to Triple-A Worcester: https://t.co/AEmmVZB9XM pic.twitter.com/2FsX12cgDu
“It’s good for them,” Cora said postgame Sunday. “Just go out there and keep getting better.”
It’s a savvy PR move by an organization that realizes its major league team could be on the brink of falling off the cliff, but it certainly isn’t one that is unwarranted in terms of on-field merit.
Mayer, the MLB.com No. 6 prospect baseball, is slashing .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs and 38 RBIs in 77 games at Double-A this season.
Anthony, the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball, has a .269/.367/.489 slash line with 20 two-baggers, 15 long balls, 45 RBIs in 84 Double-A games.
And Teel, ranked No. 23 among baseball’s prospects, is slashing .298/.390/.462 with 20 doubles, 11 homers and 60 RBIs in 84 games at the same level.
Make no mistake, all three were ready for a promotion despite being 21, 20 and 22 years old respectively.
Age ain’t nothing but a number, and certainly not in Cora’s eyes…
“Like I told them in spring training individually, I said, ‘There’s no age limit in the big leagues, right? You can make it at 19 or you can make it at 35,’” Cora said. “It doesn’t matter. If you’re good, you’re good. The fact that they’re going all together is going to be fun, fun to watch, and they’re going to be a big part of this in the future. They really are.”
What all does this mean for the prospects of the “Big Three” making their MLB debuts as soon as this season? I still think the most likely outcome is that we don’t see all three at Fenway by September, but some of that could be determined by how the Sox are doing by the time the end of August rolls around.
If the big league club is slipping out of the wild card race, maybe down to the six or seven games out mark, I think there’s a real possibility we see at least Mayer and maybe Anthony as September call-ups.
By that point, if it’s clear you’re not likely to make a serious playoff push, then it only makes sense to expedite the future.
For now, though, hey… how ‘bout them WooSox?
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.