Why The Red Sox Lost The 2024 Trade Deadline, According To Latest Report

These acquisitions definitely didn't go according to plan

Aug 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong (12) reacts after Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement (28) scores in the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Leading up to Craig Breslow's first trade deadline with the Boston Red Sox, the Chief Baseball Officer made it clear: It was time to pick a lane.

The Red Sox bought, even if it wasn't as aggressively as some in the fan base might have liked. But the returns on their investments have been iffy at best.

There's catcher Danny Jansen, who has been largely mediocre with some clutch hits sprinkled in. There's starting pitcher James Paxton, who got injured in his third start back in Boston. Then, there were relievers Luis Garcia and Lucas Sims, who both had awful stats before heading to the injured list on the same day.

Overall, Boston's trade deadline appears to have been, at best, underwhelming. And the latest ESPN report reflects poorly on the acquisitions Breslow and his team made.

ESPN's Bradford Doolittle reported on the trade deadline winners and losers a month after the fact, sorted by win probability added from the pieces they brought in and moved out. The Red Sox were listed among the teams that added win probability, but according to Doolittle, still had bad deadlines.

"The real trouble has been relievers Luis Garcia and Lucas Sims," Doolittle said. "Garcia appeared to be turning things around but wound up on the IL with elbow inflammation, the same day Sims went on the shelf with a lat strain. Also let's not lose sight of the fact that Boston's playoff probabilities have dwindled considerably over the past month."

The combined WPA of the Red Sox's trade acquisitions is +0.41, which still doesn't amount to many wins on the scoreboard. Most of that is helped by Jansen's timely hitting on a few occasions, and first baseman Niko Kavadas, sent to the Los Angeles Angels for Garcia, has also been a negative in his short time in the big leagues thus far.

As for the two relievers, Boston has to be tremendously disappointed in the additions they brought in to fill their greatest need. The Red Sox bullpen has been the worst in baseball since the deadline, and Garcia (10.32 ERA) and Sims (8.10) have both had blowups that contributed to key losses.

Meanwhile, Breslow traded away nine total prospects at this deadline, compared to just one a season ago. It remains to be seen whether any of those prospects become impact big-leaguers, but the odds would indicate the damage from this deadline spending spree will continue into future seasons.

There's still time, albeit not much, to make a last-second push at the playoffs. But if Boston misses out on October, the trade deadline will be remembered as a turning point in the season, and not the good kind.

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