Red Sox Hint at Promoting No. 5 Prospect in Farm System

There’s nothing like a sweep of one of the best teams in the American League to make embittered Red Sox fans forget the harsh disappointment of Thursday’s trade deadline, when Boston did precious little to strengthen the roster, even as several other teams in the league managed significant upgrades.

But there will be nothing that will quickly cause fans and Boston sports talkers to kick up a storm like a stretch-run swoon, the kind of bungling we’ve seen frequently in recent years from this team. Should that happen, the trade deadline will come immediately back into focus.

Team president Craig Breslow, the man who has taken–and will take–the most flak over the deadline failures says that while the preference might have been to take care of all upgrades on July 31, there are still depth pieces in the organization. And in doing so, he even hinted that the team could bring up one of its prized prospects in September–Connelly Early.

Red Sox Still Have Depth on Staff

Here’s what Breslow said when addressing what the Red Sox have in store for Alex Cora’s pitching staff, via MassLive:

“Obviously, at this point it’s hard to transact or add to that (depth),” said Breslow. “Whether it’s (Richard) Fitts, (David) Sandlin, (Connelly) Early, Payton Tolle is pitching really well in Double A, we feel like we’ve got options. (Kyle) Harrison has made some really promising changes to his repertoire and the last couple of outings have been heading in the right direction. We’re going to need (the depth).”

Connelly Early Ranks No. 5 Among Prospects

Early would be intriguing, even if he comes up for just a taste of the big leagues in September and pitches out of the bullpen. He’s a lefty, and the Red Sox are among the few teams well-stocked with those in the bullpen, especially after the acquisition of Steven Matz.

But Early is the No. 5 prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com Pipeline. He does not have overpowering stuff, but he has gone 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 75.1 innings between Double A and Triple A. Breslow also highlighted the possibility of David Sandlin coming up.

“I think we’re at the point where any opportunity we have to bolster the team and give us a better chance to win, we’ve got to be open to it,” said Breslow. “Whether it’s Sandlin, Early, both, neither, I think those are options and we’ll take a lot at how the repertoires would play out of the pen. Sandlin’s a guy who comes to mind. It’s really power stuff and with maybe a simplified approach, he could come in and just overwhelm hitters with the stuff. Those conversations are ongoing.”

Red Sox Rotation Still Has Questions

As things stand, the front three for the Red Sox rotation appears set: Garrett Crochet, Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello. After that, though, spots No. 4 and 5 are shaky. Veteran Walker Buehler is running out of chances, and his former Dodgers teammate, Dustin May, will get his chances to secure a spot starting on Wednesday, when he debuts against the Royals.

Cooper Criswell seems to have risen to the top of the list of backup options. He’s been very good at Triple-A Worcester (4-2, 3.32 ERA) and threw a gem on Friday in his first start with the Red Sox, allowing one run in 7.0 innings.