Who knows what happens from here. Maybe the Red Sox take advantage of the upcoming gift of a schedule and turn this collapse around. Perhaps Anthony Rizzo falls back into the same slump he experienced for much of 2021 as a Cub.
But in the here and the now, the trade deadline looks more and more like a cliff for the Red Sox and a trampoline for the Yankees. That was a reality put on display once again Wednesday night.
In the Twitter words of Peter Gammons: "Rizzo was THE deal."
The Red Sox' 5-2 loss to the Yankees wasn't the product of one player or one thing. Much like most of the defeats during the 6-14 stretch since July 29, there were a few things, off of which led to clubhouse frustration and quiet that simply didn't exist for the season's first four months.
"It's very quiet today, I'll tell you that," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, whose team now resides a game behind the Yankees. "It's very quiet in the clubhouse, and understandably so. It's a different feeling than early in the season when we came here and did what we did. All that stuff is in the past. It's part of the season."
"Yeah, I mean, obviously we're upset," said outfielder Hunter Renfroe. "We're pretty pissed at ourselves. We wanted to come out here and we wanted to win the series. I think that kind of sums up the whole … I don't know how long it's been … but a few weeks of us not playing up to our potential and I think everybody's frustrated with themselves and kind of beating themselves up."
Still, it was Rizzo's existence that seems to best represent the two teams' forks the road.
And then to cap it off, Rizzo offered a few ninth-inning examples of why he represents a defensive answer at first the Red Sox simply can't claim right now.
When the trade was announced -- with the Yankees sending toolsie 19-year-old outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara and minor-league pitcher Alexander Vizcaino to the Cubs -- it was immediately painful for Red Sox followers. Rizzo was perceived as a perfect fit, even if to simply platoon with Dalbec.
Now, the ouchie feels worse than ever.
Not only have the Yankees gone 16-4 since the deadline, with Rizzo totaling a .914 OPS in his 10 games, but the first baseman's presence is palpable.
According to Jeff Passan, the Red Sox -- who had scout Dana LeVangie following the Cubs throughout July -- never came close to a deal for Rizzo, unwilling to allocate a prospect at the level of Alcantara in any such trade.
Instead, the Sox secured Kyle Schwarber, who will likely see some time at first base at some point, and figures to add some much-needed length to this lineup, but still has had a fraction of the impact of Rizzo.
While the Yankees' deadline acquisition supplied more excruciating reminders for the Red Sox Wednesday night, Schwarber was still being eased into his new team, getting the night off to protect the slugger's healing hamstring.
There are other pieces of this painful puzzle for the Red Sox. It's just that understanding the impact of Rizzo three weeks ago might have been one of the easiest answers of all.