Red Sox Notebook: Chaim Bloom says trade efforts will be split between building for the future and trying to win now

June is the month when MLB teams typically begin searching the trade market.

It should come as no surprise that the Red Sox plan to be cautious this trade season.

Despite surprising the baseball world with a hot start that’s left them in the playoff race in the American League, the Sox will continue to split their focus between the future and the present, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said.

“As much as we can, trying to do things that help us on both fronts,” he said.

Bloom has made a handful of trades in his two years as the Sox’ boss, though he’s acquired mostly minor leaguers with only a few big leaguers sprinkled in (Nick Pivetta, Alex Verdugo and Adam Ottavino).

“As much as we are in this for the long haul, every chance to make the postseason is important,” Bloom said. “And we need to make sure we’re respecting the chance we have this year, as well as all the chances we hope and expect to have in years to come.”

Bloom said he thinks the prospects he’s acquired over the last two years puts the Red Sox “in a better position than we were.”

Not Duran’s time

Next stop for Jarren Duran: Triple-A Worcester.

After his key contributions with Team USA over the last week helped his country qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next month, Duran will be heading back to the Red Sox’ farm system to continue developing.

“It’s a balancing act,” said Bloom, “but we tend to lean on the side of depth while making sure we’re not road-blocking anybody.”

Keeping Duran in the minors surely gives the Red Sox depth, albeit while robbing themselves an opportunity to benefit from a 24-year-old outfielder who has dominated at every level he’s played at.

Duran hit .368 (7-for-19) with a pair of extra-base hits and a stolen base over four games with Team USA. Todd Frazier, an 11-year MLB veteran and third baseman for Team USA, told reporters he was sure Duran would be an MLB star and compared him to Mike Trout.

But the Red Sox continue to express patience with Duran, even while their big league outfielders rank 20th in MLB with 2.0 WAR and 18th with a .704 OPS.

Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe have been getting the lion’s share of at-bats from the outfield of late and it appears they will continue to play regularly.

“We never want to leave ourselves without depth,” Bloom said. “We never want to put ourselves in a position where we have to rush someone or we’re overly dependent on somebody…

“For just about any prospect, they’re going to have some bumps in the road as they get acclimated. At the same time, we don’t want to do anything to block off somebody who could be really exciting and helpful to us once the opportunity is there and once they’ve shown they’re really ready to go.”

Manager Alex Cora said he was pleased with Duran’s performance with Team USA and believes that experience in a must-win environment will be great for his development.

“That’s why I’m big on winter ball, too,” Cora said. “He did that in winter ball, he did it now with Team USA and now he’ll go back to business (in the minors). But he’s a guy we really like and we know he’s going to make an impact in the future.”

Duran is hitting .278 with seven homers and a .991 OPS in 18 games with Worcester.

Triston Casas, who will return to Double-A Portland, hit .400 (6-for-15) with a pair of doubles for Team USA in the Olympic qualifiers.

The next time Team USA competes will be in the Summer Olympics in July.

Not counting on Sale

The biggest trade season acquisition for the Red Sox is likely to be Chris Sale, who is still throwing off a mound but with no timetable for when he might begin throwing more intense bullpen sessions, much less a minor league rehab assignment. It seems unlikely, though not impossible, that he’d be back before the July 31 trade deadline.

“We know what Chris Sale when he’s 100 percent looks like — he’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” Bloom said. “But at the same time, we don’t want to put ourselves in a situation where we’re reliant on him coming back. I think we will build it without him. When he’s ready to roll, I’m sure we’re not going to have trouble finding a spot for him.”

More rest for JD

J.D. Martinez (sore wrist) was held out of the Red Sox’ lineup again on Sunday night and was not available to pinch hit.

Cora said he’s been sore, but X-rays were negative and the team hopes he’ll only need to rest for another day or two before he can return.

Asked if there’s a chance he’ll end up on the injured list, Cora said, “Right now, no. We feel like he’s progressing. It’s just us thinking ahead and not pushing him so hard. I do believe if this game was later on this season, he’d find a way to go out there and compete.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2SfV3bp