3 Biggest Team Needs for the Boston Red Sox Before the MLB Trade Deadline

The Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series in dominant fashion and looked poised to repeat as champions in 2019. However, the club has surprisingly regressed this year and has seen their odds to win the 2019 World Series steadily drop as the season moved along, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

If the Sox want to get back to the playoffs, they'll need to make a few moves at the MLB Trade Deadline to completely shore up their roster for a late-season playoff push. Here are the three biggest needs the Red Sox should address before the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline on July 31.

3. Starting Pitcher

The Red Sox have had six different pitchers occupy the fifth spot in their rotation so far and have seen pretty mixed results. That being said, finding another arm to permanently take that spot would definitely go a long way in Boston's late-season playoff push. Top-end starters like Max Scherzer and Mike Minor will likely be a little too expensive for the Red Sox based on their cap situation and state of their farm system. However, cheaper options like Zack Wheeler, Matthew Boyd or Caleb Smith are well within the realm of possibility.

2. Bullpen (Late Relief & Lefty Specialist)

Brandon Workman (1.70 ERA) has been exceptional in relief this season, but the rest of Boston's pen has yet to show the consistency the club needs to maintain leads late in games. Swinging a deal for a high-leverage reliever like Archie Bradley or Mychal Givens could provide the Boston pen with boost it needs. The club also needs a more consistent lefty specialist, as Josh Taylor hasn't been very effective when he's taken the mound (5.68 ERA, 1.57 WHIP).

1. Closer

Boston's bullpen issues have been pretty well documented, but where the club is really hurting is in the ninth inning. The Sox have blown an AL-high 17 saves and have used six different relievers to close out games this season with very little success. Trading for an established closer like Felipe Vazquez, Ken Giles, Will Smith or even Sergio Romo could go a long way in Boston's playoff push.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.