Report: Red Sox content with offense after Nunez trade
The Boston Red Sox are banking that the trade of Eduardo Nunez will be the cure for a scuffling offense.
After acquiring Nunez from the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, the Red Sox are reportedly content with their offense and are now turning their attention to finding bullpen help, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Boston ranks 21st in the majors in runs scored since the All-Star break, 28th in home runs, and 30th in OPS.
Part of the reason for its offensive struggles has been a cold streak from core players. Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and Mitch Moreland have all watched their production drop off at the plate this month, though Feinsand reports that the club believes they'll all heat up again soon.
POST ALL-STAR GAME
| PLAYER | GP | 2B | HR | SO | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mookie Betts | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | .276/.333/.362 |
| Jackie Bradley Jr | 13 | 2 | 0 | 20 | .200/.214/.236 |
| Andrew Benintendi | 13 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .188/.291/.208 |
| Xander Bogaerts | 10 | 2 | 0 | 9 | .154/.214/.205 |
| Mitch Moreland | 12 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .111/.195/.111 |
Nunez is hitting .308/.334/.417 with 21 doubles this season, but has only homered four times in 76 games. He comes to Boston riding a major hot streak, slashing .354/.392/.438 with four doubles in 12 games this month.
In addition to Nunez, the Red Sox also called up top third-base prospect Rafael Devers, who crushed his first career home run Wednesday.
The Red Sox bullpen has been a real strength this season, but is in need of another arm or two. Joe Kelly and Carson Smith remain on the disabled list, and Heath Hembree has proved to no longer be an option in high-leverage situations.
Boston has been linked to Detroit Tigers left-hander Justin Wilson and New York Mets right-hander Addison Reed.