On Talkin’ Baseball, John Tomase and Lou Merloni express their frustration with the Red Sox ownership group and the role in played in a quiet trade deadline for Boston.
The Boston Red Sox came away from the MLB trade deadline with outfielder Kyle Schwarber and two relievers. Could they have landed Schwarber's former Washington Nationals teammate as well?
The Red Sox reportedly were among the teams interested in veteran ace Max Scherzer ahead of the deadline, and a report that Boston's ownership was pushing chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to pursue Scherzer added to the speculation.
According to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, though, a Scherzer trade to Boston was never really in the cards.
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"We never got that close to a deal with the Red Sox so that was never a question that was posed to him," Rizzo told 106.7 FM The Fan on Wednesday (via MassLive's Chris Cotillo) when asked if the team had approached Scherzer about waiving his no-trade clause to join the Red Sox.
Bloom also denied the report that ownership pushed him to pursue Scherzer to our John Tomase, who reported prior to the deadline that Scherzer had a "clear preference" to play for a contender on the West Coast. The 37-year-old acted on that preference by joining a stacked Los Angeles Dodgers rotation.
Bloom and the Red Sox have been consistent in trying to improve the team without mortgaging the future, and acquiring Scherzer would have meant parting with multiple top prospects. Then again, Boston is a legitimate contender that could use some pitching help: The team has allowed an average of 6.4 runs per game over its last seven contests, going 1-6 in that span.
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The Red Sox will bank on Chris Sale providing an ace-like boost when he returns from Tommy John rehab, but if they continue to falter down the stretch, it's worth wondering whether they could have acquired another quality arm at the deadline.