Mazz: Instant reaction to Red Sox “dud” of a trade deadline
The MLB trade deadline has now passed and the Boston Red Sox didn’t make much noise at all. On Tuesday’s Baseball Hour with Tony Mazz, Mazz gave his thoughts on a “dud” of a deadline for Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox.
A “Dud” of a Deadline
Mazz: This was an absolute dud of a trading deadline for the Red Sox today, who are still in the playoff race. And for those of you who put emphasis on the last three days, well, now there are two or three out or whatever the number is, DON’T, because it really shouldn’t factor in. Still two months left in the season. If you believe in your team then you make a deal and you add to it. Especially if you believe that Chris Sale is coming back and Trevor Story is coming back, those aren’t reasons to not add, those are reasons to add. When you’re getting guys like that back, if you believe in it, you say, “Oh, you know what? Then we got to go out and make moves”, as opposed to the rhetoric that the Red Sox fed you leading up to the deadline.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 15: Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy looks on during a press conference addressing the departure of Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on January 15, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. A MLB investigation concluded that Cora was involved in the Houston Astros sign stealing operation in 2017 while he was the bench coach. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Mazz: The Red Sox don’t believe in this team. They don’t. And this is the part that should frustrate you as a fan. So they want to feed you all the bullcrap before the season, “we expect to contend. We will continue to spend like we always have. We’re going to give you a contender. We’re going to give you a what we think is a playoff team. We’re going to be in it”, they feed you all that. Then the players deliver, but they don’t get them any help at the deadline? And again, they want to sell you the idea that, “well, we have we have Chris Sale coming back. We have Trevor Story coming back. Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, we have all those guys coming back”. Well, then you must think you’re going to be pretty good, so why not add more? Don’t use that as some sort of explanation for why they didn’t add. It’s illogical. Again, you got teams out there that are making multiple moves because they think the’re in it and they have a chance to win. And you know what? Again, they don’t all have to be championship deals.
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Red Sox 2024 schedule announced
As the 2023 Boston Red Sox get ready for a crucial stretch coming out of the All-Star break, fans can already start looking ahead to 2024. On Thursday, the team released its schedule for the 2024 season.
The 2024 season will be the second year of the new MLB scheduling format. For the second time, the Red Sox will have at least one series with all 29 other teams over the course of the season.
READ MORE:
— Meet the 2023 Red Sox draft class
— Checking in with the Red Sox at the All-Star break
— A worrying roster trend that pre-dates Chaim Bloom
In the past, teams played a division-heavy schedule, while interleague matchups happened on a rotating multi-year basis. Under the new format which debuted in 2023, teams play each division opponent 13 times, each inter-division opponent in the same league six or seven times, one chosen interleague ‘rival’ four times (for the Red Sox that is the Braves) and each other interleague opponent three times. Now, instead of teams alternating interleague opponents every year they just flip-flip which team hosts the series each year.
Keeping that in mind, here’s a look at the full schedule…
Got our plans for 2024!
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 13, 2023
🗓️: https://t.co/WOUGbzznPh pic.twitter.com/DBRjp8Dbc6
What are the make-or-break series or stretches to watch for next year? Let’s take a look month-by-month…
March/April
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 30: Corey Kluber #28 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day at Fenway Park on March 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
Not only do the Red Sox open the season on the road, but they’ll be all the way on the West Coast. It’ll be late-night baseball for the first week and a half of the season with three-game series against the Mariners, A’s, and Angels to start the year. They’ll finally return to Fenway Park on Tuesday April 9 for the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles.
Later in the month, the Cleveland Guardians come to town for the annual 11 a.m. Marathon Monday game. In a bit of a rarity, that game will be a series-opener, rather than being the finale of a wrap-around series. A few weeks later the the Chicago Cubs make a rare trip to Fenway.
May
May will be a big month for the Red Sox in terms of the AL East picture. They’ll have seven games in a one-week span against the Tampa Bay Rays in the middle of the month – four at Fenway and then three at the Trop. There’s also another Baltimore series at the end of the month.
June
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox hits an RBI single against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Fenway Park on June 16, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Assuming the Red Sox remain competitive through the first two months of the season, June has the potential to be a major month for them. Early on they play two games at home against the powerhouse Atlanta Braves. A week later they have a six-game homestand that includes visits from the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees – the first series of the year between the Sox and Yankees.
Later in the month they have six games against the Toronto Blue Jays. To close June out, the San Diego Padres visit the Red Sox for a weekend series that would be Xander Bogaerts homecoming to Fenway Park.
July
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 11: Kenley Jansen #74 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the 93rd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at T-Mobile Park on July 11, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
July starts off with a six-game road trip, including the Sox’s first trip of the year to Yankee Stadium. That’s followed by a six-game homestand leading into the All-Star Break against the A’s and Royals – a chance to build up some momentum heading into the second half.
Coming out of the break the Sox have their second West Coast road trip that will see them face the Dodgers and Rockies. They then return home for another series with the Yankees. July 31 – trade deadline day – has them playing a series finale against the Mariners at Fenway.
August
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 05: Christian Arroyo #39 of the Boston Red Sox reacts with Connor Wong #12 of the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on July 05, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images)
The Red Sox play all 12 of their games against the Texas teams in the month of August. They’ll start the month in Arlington, heading on the road after the trade deadline. A week later, they begin a six-game homestand where they’ll face the Astros and then the Rangers. A trip to Houston is in store the next week.
There’s also a good amount of divisional competition in this month. The Sox will be in Baltimore for a four game series in the middle of the month, and then for the final weekday series they host the Blue Jays for four games.
September
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 28: Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox watches from the dugout during the fourth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 28, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
If the Red Sox need to gain ground late in the season, they’ll have a chance. 16 of their 26 games over the final month are against AL East opponents. On top of that, they also face the Mets in New York and host the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins.
