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Boston Red Sox

Another reported connection between the Red Sox and Mets ahead of the MLB trade deadline

Author Alex Barth

The Red Sox and Mets have been connected by report a number of times leading up to next week’s MLB trade deadline. Now, it seems like the interest between the two teams is really heating up.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Mets will have scouts at Friday night’s Red Sox game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He added that the two players the Cubs are believed to be interested in are designated hitter J.D. Martinez and catcher Christian Vazquez.

However, neither of those players may be the Mets’ primary deadline targets according to Rosenthal. Instead, he says they could be New York’s fallback plan “if the price is to steep” for catcher Willson Contreras or closer David Robertson, both of the Cubs.

Rosenthal adds that it is “believed” that if the the Red Sox deal Martinez and/or Vazquez, they want Major League-ready players back in return. Over the past few weeks, the Sox have been linked to Mets first baseman Dom Smith on a few occasions. Smith had a breakout year during the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, when he slashed .316/.377/.616 and hitting 10 home runs in 50 games. He’s struggled this year, slashing.194/.276/.284 in 58 games played to this point. The 27-year-old is under contract for two more years.

Even with the two extra years of team control though, the Red Sox would likely command more in a deal for those players – specifically Martinez. If that’s the case, it’s not unrealistic to think the Mets would get aggressive. At 61-37, they have the second-best record in the National League and are three games up on the Braves for first place in the NL East.

There’s still a few more days for this to all be sorted out. Because July 31 falls on a Sunday this year, the MLB trade deadline will be August 2.

Alex Barth is a digital content producer and on-air host for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Barth grew up in the Boston area and began covering both the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Red Sox in 2017 before joining the Hub in 2020. He now covers all things Boston Sports for 985TheSportsHub.com as well as appearing on air. Alex writes about all New England sports, as well as college football. You can follow him across all social media platforms at @RealAlexBarth.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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Mazz: What to watch (and listen) for as the reeling Red Sox skid toward the trading deadline

There’s an old adage that goes something like this: judge people not by what they say, but rather by what they do. Now more than ever, this applies to the Red Sox and the annual major league trading deadline.

Of course, we all know how this works. In recent days, Red Sox manager Alex Cora (in a press conference), president Sam Kennedy (on the radio), chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom (on television) all answered questions about the Red Sox’ intentions approaching the Aug. 2 trading deadline. All three were noncommittal. Cora basically said the Red Sox would do what was best for the organization. Kennedy and Bloom went a little further, but left the door ajar.

“There’s been no discussions or commentary internally or externally about moves related to the trade deadline involving Xander (Bogaerts), Raffy (Devers), or anyone else to my knowledge,” Kennedy told WEEI.” At this point, we’re focused on getting back in this thing and winning.”

Said Bloom to NESN: “We haven’t had any discussions internally or with any other club about (Bogaerts and Devers). We don’t plan to.”

Naturally, the language there is open-ended. At this point. We don’t plan to. But before we accuse the Red Sox of lying or deceiving, don’t take it so personally. They have jobs to do and it would serve them no purpose to tell us they were planning to move Bogaerts, Devers or anyone else. By the trading deadline on Tuesday at 6 p.m., we’ll have our answers based on what they do.

Eighteen years ago, in the last days before the trading deadline, I asked a Sox official if they were going to trade away Nomar Garciaparra. The answer I got? “Probably not.” Within a day or two, Garciaparra was gone in a deal that brought Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz to Boston. The same official later told me, “I wasn’t lying to you.” So maybe the deal came together late – or maybe it didn’t. Either way, noncommittal answers are built into the landscape of trade talks.

As for the notion of whether the Sox will be buyers or sellers, the Red Sox can’t have it both ways – at least not as it pertains to the 2022 season. Yesterday, John Tomase of NBC Sports Boston reported that Bloom informed his staff to avoid “binary thinking,” which is to say that he doesn’t want the Sox to think as buyers or sellers. If that sounds like a copout, it is. When the smoke clears Tuesday, we are all likely to know whether the Red Sox are playing for the short term (2022) or the long (2023 and beyond), no matter what the Red Sox say.

  • J.D. Martinez

    ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 11: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox looks on after scoring a run in the fifth inning during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 11, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

    ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – JULY 11: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox looks on after scoring a run in the fifth inning during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 11, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

    Martinez will be 35 next month and feels like a lock to be gone. Here’s why: he’s underperformed this year (so how much of a loss is he really?) and, if the Sox want draft pick compensation for him, they would be required to offer him a one-year deal for roughly $19 million. If he accepts, the Sox would lose money they might be better-served to spend elsewhere. The big second-guess concerns the Sox’ efforts to trade Martinez last offseason, which would have freed up the money to bring back someone like Kyle Schwarber, who got $79 million over four years with the Phillies.

  • Nathan Eovaldi

    BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 22: Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox walks off of the field during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on July 22, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

    BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 22: Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox walks off of the field during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on July 22, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

    Eovaldi already has been immortalized here for what he did in 2018, but the dilemma for the Sox is the same as above – and he’s been injured to boot. If the Sox want draft pick compensation this offseason – and we know how much the modern executives love that – they have to make a qualifying offer. A healthy Eovaldi on a one-year deal feels far more palatable than such a deal for Martinez, if only for the fact that the Sox need any pitching they can get. But given Eovaldi’s current back problems, is that really a smart allocation of resources? Doesn’t feel like it. If they can get a comparable prospect for him in the coming days, he could be gone.

  • Christian Vazquez

    BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 25: Christian Vazquez #7 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting an RBI single against the Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning at Fenway Park on July 25, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

    BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 25: Christian Vazquez #7 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting an RBI single against the Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning at Fenway Park on July 25, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

    All things considered, there may be no Sox player who has taken greater advantage of a contract year. But would the Sox make him a qualifying offer of nearly $19 million to get a draft pick? No way. (Vazquez is making $7 million this season.) That would make him perhaps the likeliest candidate to be dealt were it not for this fact: who the heck would become the full-time catcher if he’s gone? Love Vazquez or hate him, he’s a starter. If he goes – let alone if either of the above also departs – the white flag will go up on the 2022 season.

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