Sox to be You

Alex Verdugo could have had it so much better.

The Dodgers are soaring right now, and he could be a part of the outfield with Cody Bellinger and A.J. Pollock, ruling the NL West and making headlines. But the Dodgers had to get greedy, trade for Mookie Betts and send him to Boston where everything he does is undercut by one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. 

It's a good thing Verdugo is hitting LA-caliber numbers, with a .313 average,  13 RBIs and a team-leading 41 hits. But...the team in general is just several paces behind where they should be right now. Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez are all doing fine, but these aren't their best seasons, despite Bogaerts still being a league talent. Martin Perez and Zack Godley are the only Opening Day starting pitchers still healthy and in the rotation. They're relying on more unknowns for other starting spots, like Ryan Weber and Colton Brewer, but none are doing especially well. Phillips Valdez is a sharp-as-hell reliever, but he's one of the few bright spots in the bullpen.

And as Toronto continues to chase a playoff spot, and as New York and Tampa continue to dominate, the Red Sox sink further and further from the conversation. This is a team that was playoff-caliber for the last few years, and after a few injuries and departures, are in last place. I am reminded of the drop-off after the 2013 World Championship season, and how similar that was. And I'm not exactly complaining.

At the end of this year, the Sox lose Jackie Bradley Jr., and could very well non-tender Matt Barnes, Zack Godley, and some other pieces of this team. They still have to pay Dustin Pedroia for one more year, regardless of whether or not he plans on playing, and they still have to pay Bogaerts, Sale, Martinez and Eovaldi. It's going to probably take a lot of retooling and healing for this team to compete again in the near future. It could be just a snap of Chris Sale's fingers next year, but...I'm not sure, and I'm not terribly optimistic. 

Coming Tonight: The undisputed leader of the new and improved Braves rotation.