The Red Sox could use some help with their bullpen.
The Boston Red Sox finished the first half on a high note, winning 10 consecutive games and improving to 53-45. They are now just three games back in the American League East.
On top of this, they now hold the second AL Wild Card spot as the second half gets underway. They are now likely to be buyers rather than sellers at the trade deadline.
One area of need is their bullpen. Beyond Aroldis Chapman, the relief corps is inconsistent for the Red Sox. Another back-end arm would help.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports predicts that Boston will send Jarren Duran to the Cleveland Guardians for Emmanuel Clase.
"Boston has more good outfielders than outfield spots and the Guardians can spare an end-of-game reliever. I will not predict a one-for-one trade -- I'll say there will be more pieces involved to even things out -- but Clase for Duran will be the meat of it," Axisa wrote.
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Clase is 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 43 appearances and has saved 20 games. Last year, he was the AL Reliever of the Year and earned his third All-Star nod.
While Duran is an impact player for the Red Sox, they have a logjam in their outfield and need to clear an everyday spot for top prospect Roman Anthony. Duran could bring back an impact piece such as Clase.
Pairing Clase with Aroldis Chapman would give Boston a scary combination late in games and give them a much better chance to potentially come out on top in the AL East down the stretch.
The bullpen is one obvious area of need for Boston, and Clase and Chapman could be an elite combo at the back end of games.
It will be interesting to see if the two sides consider such a deal.
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Category: Baseball
