Craig Breslow left the trade deadline with a roster that looks stronger on paper, but there’s one hole that’s already flashing red for the Red Sox: starting pitching depth.
Boston did address several obvious needs. The front office added help at catcher and in the bullpen, and the move for a true fourth outfielder and pinch-run threat was a smart extra touch.
On the whole, the deadline can be framed as a success. But the one area that got left untouched - a starter - is now looking more and more important.
The Red Sox rotation has been a strength this season, powered by veterans Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez and boosted by rookies Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett. The problem is what comes after that. The depth has thinned out badly, and it was a need that should have been on the table.
Tolle and Bennett have both already gone beyond their previous career high in innings with more than two months still left in the season. Tolle at least showed on August 7 against the A’s that he still had plenty in the tank, striking out a career-high 14. Bennett, though, has started to look worn down.
Bennett’s last nine starts have told the story. Over his last four, he has thrown 23 innings with a 5.09 ERA and a 3.78 FIP.
That rough stretch has followed a dominant run from June 22 through July 17, when the 25-year-old left-hander gave up just three runs across five starts and 33 innings. During that span, he walked four and struck out 25.
Those starts were a big part of why Boston could dream on Bennett holding up late in the year. From starts five through nine, he looked like a real force.
Since then, the results have slipped. The defense behind him has not helped, but the downturn has been real enough.
Nobody expected his season to turn this quickly, and there is still time for him to rebound. But the possibility of fatigue was always there, and Boston has already seen enough to make that concern hard to ignore.
It gets even trickier if the Red Sox need to cover for an injury elsewhere. Brayan Bello has been excellent out of the bullpen, but he still hasn’t shown he can handle the first inning this season.
Boston could go back to the opener plan with him, but that hasn’t been fully successful either. Beyond Bello, the club does not currently have another pitcher with major league starting experience ready to go.
When a rotation is leaning on two rookies who are already at career highs in innings, plus Patrick Sandoval, who missed almost two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, adding another arm to soak up innings starts to look less like a luxury and more like a necessity.
And that’s why the deadline omission stands out. The Red Sox improved in plenty of places, but the lack of another starter is already showing up with Bennett.
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