Rain threatened. Storm clouds loomed over Fenway Park late in Wednesday afternoon's game against the Orioles.
Yet the Red Sox had enough time to complete a 5-1 victory, tying the franchise record of 15 consecutive wins. The last time they did it was 1946 -- 80 years ago, when Ted Williams led Boston to 104 wins.
Only after the final out on Wednesday afternoon did the skies over Jersey Street finally give way.
That the storm held off until the final out felt like a fitting reflection of the Red Sox's season. For weeks, the clouds had been gathering. Their postseason hopes looked dim. They were 14 games under .500 on June 24 and in last place in the AL East. Their flaws seemed too significant to overcome. The offense, according to those around the league, had no one in it who really scared opponents. Yet somehow, this group outran the storm that threatened to swallow its season just before the All-Star break.
"You don't really go into it thinking about it," Boston infielder Caleb Durbin said of the historic winning streak. "It's just you keep stacking one win at a time."
The streak ended one game shy of the franchise record after the Red Sox dropped the nightcap of their split doubleheader after the storm. But those 15 straight wins also brought the club's trade deadline approach into sharper focus.
Out of the cellar and no longer sellers
For much of June, and even into early July, the conversation surrounding the Red Sox centered on selling at the trade deadline. Starter Sonny Gray said the club wasn't a good team at the time and acknowledged he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause. Closer Aroldis Chapman was viewed as the headliner, with many around the game expecting he'd be dealt to a real contender.
Now, that conversation has flipped. The Red Sox (now 52-49 and in playoff position in the American League) are no longer being discussed as sellers. A month after sitting 14 games under .500, the club plans to buy before the Aug. 3 deadline.
"I think this group right now believes that whatever the [front office] decides to do, we're focused on what's in front of us and are going out there trying to win a game," interim manager Chad Tracy said. "Maybe more of that will come up 10 days from now. I also think that the league itself, with so many teams still bunched in there, everybody maybe still feels like they're going to go get players because they're still in it."
Buying, though, is relative. And if recent history is any indication, Red Sox fans shouldn't expect an all-in approach. Last year's version of "buying," for example, consisted of backend starters Dustin May and Steven Matz. Neither did well in Boston.
But perhaps chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's mindset has shifted in his third full season at the helm. Perhaps he'll view this deadline as an opportunity to make his team better now, without so much focus on losing the trade.
Which players could the Red Sox target?
A league source confirmed that the Red Sox have had interest in Angels shortstop Zach Neto dating back to last season.
Neto, 25, is under team control through 2029 and would fill a glaring hole at shortstop. Andruw Monasterio and Tsung-Che Cheng aren't everyday players. Neto, meanwhile, pairs above-average defense with power, as evidenced by his 19 home runs this season, a combination that would undoubtedly play at Fenway Park, particularly to the pull side.
Yet with much of the league in search of a right-handed bat in a market thin on them, acquiring Neto likely wouldn't come cheap. It could require the Red Sox to part with significant prospect capital, perhaps even Marcelo Mayer, the oft-injured 23-year-old currently on the injured list whom the organization has seemingly cooled on.
Franklin Arias, the No. 3 prospect in baseball who was recently promoted to Triple-A Worcester, would likely be too steep a price for Neto. But a package built around Mayer and a couple of prospects from the back half of Boston's top 30 could be enough to move the needle.
The Red Sox will also be searching for another arm in an effort to protect some of their younger starters, several of whom are approaching career-high workloads. Payton Tolle has already eclipsed his professional high, logging 89 ⅔ innings in 16 starts. The left-hander has hit a bit of a wall, yielding 11 runs over his last five starts, including outings in which he allowed four and six runs.
Connelly Early, meanwhile, is on the injured list with elbow inflammation, while the Red Sox have also been careful with Jake Bennett's workload.
But Garrett Crochet may be the biggest reason Boston needs another starter. Crochet has been on the injured list since April with shoulder inflammation and has since suffered multiple setbacks. He still hasn't resumed throwing. With August approaching, it's fair to wonder whether he'll pitch again this season.
Catcher is another avenue the Red Sox could explore. Carlos Narváez is having a down year after taking on much of the workload last season, while Connor Wong has been better offensively but hasn't shown he's an everyday catcher throughout the course of his career. At this point, both profile as backups.
While the Red Sox are weighing their options, expect them to wait until the Aug. 3 deadline before making any major decisions, allowing the market to fully develop.
Much can change in under 10 days.
The Red Sox should be the first to know that.
