The Boston Red Sox shouldn't be here.
Two months into the season, Boston was hovering around .500 as the fanbase debated the Red Sox' trade deadline strategy.
Now, with less than five weeks left in the regular season, Boston is in striking distance of the postseason. Entering Monday at 67-62, the Red Sox are 4.5 games back in the American League Wild Card race. With time running out, they need to start winning games at a high clip. FanGraphs gives them just a 25.5% chance to make the playoffs headed into their doubleheader on Monday against the Blue Jays.
Boston can swing the odds more in its favor, however, if the organization adds some reinforcements for the stretch run. Rosters will expand to 28 on September 1, giving the Red Sox (and everyone else) a chance to add some depth to their pitching staff and bench. Lucky for them, they have one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball with some MLB-ready talent waiting in Triple-A.
Richard Fitts Could Be Another Red Sox Rotation Option
The Red Sox are smack in the middle of MLB in terms of starting pitching. They rank 15th with a 4.05 rotation ERA and 19th with 623 strikeouts. As the stats indicate, there's a whole lot of “average” in their rotation, with Tanner Houck the only pitcher with an ERA+ higher than 104 (136).
To be fair, Fitts hasn't exactly gone nuts in Triple-A. He has a 4.47 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 104 innings. But the righty is the team's No. 13-ranked prospect for a reason. He was Eastern League pitcher of the year last year for Double-A Somerset (Yankees) before coming to the Red Sox in the Alex Verdugo trade.
“He has the highest ceiling among Boston's pitching prospects as a decent bet to fit into the back of a rotation or become a multi-inning reliever,” Fitts' MLB.com scouting report reads.
Fitts has a mid-90s fastball that he can dial up to 98 with decent control. If manager Alex Cora wants to use Fitts out of the bullpen, he can provide support to a unit that ranks among the worst in MLB (4.48 ERA).
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Chase Meidroth can add a hot bat to the Red Sox infield
The Red Sox added Danny Jansen at the trade deadline in an effort to get another right-handed bat into the lineup. Though he hasn't been bad since coming over, the catcher is in the middle of his worst offensive year since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
As it stands, Boston has one of the best offenses in baseball, ranking fourth in both batting average and OPS. But the Red Sox could use another right-handed hitter in the infield, where only Rafael Devers has an OPS+ over 100. Second base is an area of particular need, and that's Meidroth's best position. In the minors this year alone, however, he has played second, third, shortstop, and DH. That makes him a valuable utility guy down the stretch while he makes a case to start 2025 in Boston.
Meidroth ranks as the No. 11 prospect in the Red Sox' system and, unlike Fitts, has excelled in Triple-A. Over 104 games in Worcester, Meidroth is hitting .302 with an .869 OPS and 12 stolen bases. He's known for his elite plate discipline, and his stats back that up. He has 91 walks in Worcester, compared to 53 strikeouts in 477 plate appearances.
