The Red Sox can't sit back and watch this happen

"I do think there’s a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would’ve." - Craig Breslow.

Within the lengthy Zoom meeting with the media following the trade of Rafael Devers, this was really the be-all, end-all quote from the Red Sox' chief baseball officer. Ultimately, it was all that mattered.

The Red Sox were supposed to be privy to the secret sauce that proved this move - trading the team's best hitter in the midst of a five-game win streak - was the right one. Sure, there wasn't another major league-ready hitter coming back to fill the void. And the pitchers they received in return - Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks - were hardly no-doubt-about-it additions.

But between eliminating the cloud that had grown thanks to Devers' feud with the front office and freeing up roster and lineup flexibility, it was going to be worth it.

So far, it hasn't been.

After being swept by the Angels, the Red Sox returned home from their West Coast swing having gone 3-6 while possessing an offense that was devoid of any sort of punch. The post-Devers DH spot has wielded a .543 OPS and .182 batting average, managing just three RBI. The offense as a whole during the stretch has had the majors' worst batting average (.188) and OPS (.573) in all of baseball.

While the verbal reactions from the Sox players have been on-point, the on-field results have been anything but. Three players (Nate Eaton, Wilyer Abreu, Connor Wong) finished the trip with batting averages north of .214, with nine hitters clocking at .179 or worse.

They might point to the opponents' next-level wave of arms. Perhaps it is a product of pressing. Or maybe it is just a matter of putting too much stock in hitters who were given the benefit of the doubt before it was time to.

Whatever the case, it sure feels like another course correction needs to be in the cards.

When taking this leap of faith, it was hard to imagine that the Red Sox didn't draw on what happened when trading Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline in 2008. The quotes emanating from the team after that deal could be easily applied to this situation.

Then-GM Theo Epstein: "It's undeniable that we had an environment that was not conducive to winning. We wanted to change that, and make a good baseball trade."

Then-manager Terry Francona: "I was pleased with the trade. We care about our team, and we feel good about it today."

Then-slugger David Ortiz: "How much will I miss him? I'll let you know after the season."

The Red Sox went on to win 10 of their next 13 games. They came one win away from going to the World Series. And the player they got back for Manny, Jason Bay, ultimately totaled a .897 OPS with nine homers in his 49 regular-season games.

So far, this has not been an apples to apples situation.

For starters, the Red Sox's plan to find the success Breslow hinted would be surfacing is far from as obvious as it was 17 years ago. No proven big bat was dropped in the lineup to replace Devers, as was the case with Bay. And there were plenty of other proven options to produce if the Bay thing didn't pan out.

Now? Different story.

The Red Sox might point to the recent downturn and suggest it's a small sample size and these problems will be fixing themselves in short order. Maybe. But the problem is that time is not on this team's side when it comes to figuring out if that premise is on-point.

By the time Alex Bregman and Masa Yoshida are options to help out, the Red Sox will be on the other side of the All-Star break. That is 16 games. At that point it would seem that the front office will have to start defining its team as buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Sixteen games. If that stretch resembles these past nine - and no adjustments are made - the answer will be uncomfortably easy.

And if the roster is gutted with trade deadline see-ya-laters and white flag waving a month from now, we will know that the plan didn't work.

So, what can they do?

As uncomfortable as Breslow and Co. got when making the Devers deal, the move might necessitate them enduring another round of uneasiness to salvage this season. They can point to the fact that June trades are difficult to make, but the fact of the matter is that they just made one.

There was Seattle's trade for Carlos Santana on June 27, 2023, which spurred the Mariners to a record of 37-15 over the next two months. And who can forget the Red Sox' deal for Steve Peace on June 28, 2018, launching that club to a 13-3 record heading into the All-Star break.

Maybe this run of home games will unlock the offensive woes, pushing Devers discourse further into the rearview mirror. Relying on those sort of vibes, however, would seem to be a dangerous game.

The Red Sox showed they were willing to be aggressive once. It's time for Round 2.