The trade deadline life of a top prospect, by Dalton Rushing
The story is always worth surfacing this time of year ...
With his team living the life of a possible postseason contender heading into final days of July, Rangers GM Chris Young gathered together his front office and offered the reality that so many teams realize but oftentimes don't verbalize.
In a nutshell, the message was this: If we truly believe we can win the World Series, then the list of our top prospects is likely to be uncomfortably cut into.
In case you failed to remember, the Rangers won the World Series that year.
It seems like sometimes this time of year, "organizational sustainability" overshadows what should be the be-all, end-all, actually winning a world championship. It's a trap the Red Sox shouldn't be sucked into, particularly considering their current situation.
The gut-wrenching walk-off loss to the Twins Monday night, in which the Red Sox came out of a 90-minute rain delay in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered their one-run lead, shouldn't have altered any motivations or narratives. This team is still one of the three Wild Card-eligible clubs, living life one game behind the Yankees, half a game behind the Mariners, and half a game ahead of the Rangers.
The trade deadline clubhouse dynamic
The facts before the bumpy loss to the Twins remain the same as they did before the bumpy plane ride to Minnesota.
The Red Sox need another reliable starter. The Red Sox could use another high-leverage relief pitcher. And some additional offensive punch certainly wouldn't hurt. If they filled those gaps - in a more effective manner than the 2024 deadline addition supplied - this is a team that could take advantage of an American League that is full of teams who are treading water.
Sure, there was the importance of what the Rangers did two years ago. The same could be said for the team they beat in the World Series, which wouldn't have gotten to their final destination without the somewhat subtle additions of Tommy Pham and Paul Sewald.
But how about last year?
A strong case could be made that, as good as the Dodgers were, they don't win it all without the deadline trades for Jack Flaherty, Tommy Edman, and Michael Kopech. And the Yankees, the American League representative in the World Series, didn't hesitate in altering their infield (and overall vibe) with the acquisition of Jazz Chisholm, immediately winning eight of nine after the deal with the Marlins.
The trap the Red Sox have to avoid is thinking that the exorbitant deadline prices are the excuse to not take advantage of this position they have put themselves in.
Too many times in this current iteration of roster-building, teams use examples of why they don't have to make bold trade deadline moves. The Tigers made a nice postseason run last year after selling at the deadline. (A year ago, Detroit had a 2.8 percent chance of making the postseason.) But look at it another way: What if it kept Flaherty and didn't have to rely on a wave of bullpen games in their playoff series against the Guardians?
You don't have to trade top pitching prospect Payton Tolle (unless it's for Joe Ryan, of course). That's understood. But you do have to trade someone, and that's OK. Want another reminder? The guy the Red Sox dealt for Kyle Schwarber that allowed for their 2021 ALCS run, Aldo Ramirez, is out of professional baseball.
When you have a chance to win the World Series, you make the most of it. Consider this just a subtle reminder for Craig Breslow and Co.