Deadline deals don't always pay off

BALTIMORE — The archetypal baseball trade deadline buyers and sellers are sharing Camden Yards for three games this week.

The Red Sox are reportedly in the market to bolster a team that had the best record in baseball entering Monday. The Orioles have already dealt Manny Machado and he is almost certainly not the last player headed for the exits.

The difference in mindsets tends to foster opposite feelings in the clubhouses. Boston [...]

BALTIMORE — The archetypal baseball trade deadline buyers and sellers are sharing Camden Yards for three games this week.

The Red Sox are reportedly in the market to bolster a team that had the best record in baseball entering Monday. The Orioles have already dealt Manny Machado and he is almost certainly not the last player headed for the exits.

The difference in mindsets tends to foster opposite feelings in the clubhouses. Boston manager Alex Cora experienced both during his 14-year playing career, most notably in 2004 with the Dodgers and in 2007 with the Red Sox.

“I think we’re going to keep the core, which is very important,” Cora said. “I don’t see too many people anxious about it — not too many questions. They talk about it obviously, but there’s not a guy that’s come up to me like, ‘Hey man, what’s going on?’

“We’re very locked in on what we’re trying to accomplish. I know playing in this division has kept everybody in check. Every day counts. We went to Detroit, took care of business, and now we’re here.”

Machado was Baltimore’s lone representative at the All-Star Game in Washington last week, held onto just long enough before being traded to the Dodgers for a handful of prospects. The Orioles were 28-72 entering Monday, and reliever Zach Britton, and starting pitchers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman have started to see their names circulate on social media.

Cora’s team 14 years ago was far from a lost cause. The Dodgers were 60-43 at the July 31 deadline but still parted company with outfielder Dave Roberts (to Boston), catcher Paul Lo Duca (to the Marlins) and reliever Guillermo Mota (to the Marlins). Roberts famously stole second base to spark the rally that helped turn the American League Championship Series against the Yankees while Los Angeles was eliminated by the Cardinals in the National League Division Series.

“In ’04 we thought we were one pitcher away from dominating,” Cora said. “All of a sudden we traded Dave Roberts and Lo Duca and Mota and it was a totally different team. We made it to the playoffs, but we felt awkward.”

Roberts and the Red Sox broke the infamous 86-year Curse of the Bambino by finally delivering a title to Boston. Cora was part of the Red Sox' 2007 World Series winners. Boston also sent three prospects to the Rangers that year for reliever Eric Gagne, and the three-time All-Star pitched to a dreadful 6.23 earned-run average in five postseason appearances with the Red Sox.

“Sometimes — and I understand where people come from — it doesn’t mean that it’s a guaranteed World Series ring,” Cora said. “We went through it here in ’07 with Eric. When we traded for Eric we thought it was over, and it was the total opposite. He struggled.”

Boston has already added Steve Pearce, a right-handed hitter to address the team's struggles against left-handed pitching. Pearce entered Monday sporting a 1.099 OPS in 13 games with the Red Sox, and the team is 10-3 in his appearances. His 15 hits include six for extra bases.

“He’s a veteran guy and he’s been in this situation before,” Cora said. “As soon as he walked into that clubhouse in New York [on June 29] he fit right in with the group.”

Whether or not Britton could help the Boston bullpen — or is even a realistic target for Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski — is up for debate. The Red Sox appear to have settled on Matt Barnes setting up Craig Kimbrel, and Britton’s lone postseason appearance veered toward the nightmare Gagne endured with the Red Sox. Britton followed a stellar 2016 regular season by posting a 2.14 WHIP in six playoff games, surrendering five hits and five walks to the 24 batters he faced over six games.

“We’ve got a good team,” Cora said. “Everybody knows Dave is looking for ways to improve the team. He did already with Steve. That was a great baseball move. You see the impact. We’ll see what happens.”

— bkoch@providencejournal.com 

On Twitter: @BillKoch25