The Red Sox swung big at the trade deadline, but their potential for growth didn't stop there

MLB’s trade deadline officially passed on Monday, marking one of the last key checkpoints of the season before a mad dash to the finish. The Boston Red Sox were one of baseball’s busiest teams yesterday, adding to the roster in the hopes of not just keeping their momentum going, but continuing to ascend the American League’s ladder.

It’s been a whirlwind of a five weeks to say the least in Boston, going from 14 games under .500 to nine games over .500 and comfortably holding an American Wild Card spot and just two games back of the New York Yankees entering play on Tuesday. In their last 28 games, the Red Sox are 23-5, and that was before adding their reinforcements.

On Monday, the Red Sox biggest move was acquiring All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers from the Orioles in exchange for Carlos Narvaez and a prospect package of Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, and Enddy Azocar - a major haul that signals the front office’s urge to win.

The aggression also included a move that sent one-time top prospect Marcelo Mayer to the Giants in exchange for lefty reliever Erik Miller and outfield prospect Carlos Gutierrez. Additionally, the Red Sox added some outfield depth by swapping pitcher Tyler Uberstine for Eli White of the Braves.

The Red Sox and their fans undoubtedly hope the aggression will pay off, but there’s going to need to be some patience involved as well, as Rutschman is still waiting to return from the injured list as he deals with wrist inflammation - one of a few nagging injuries he’s dealt with over the last three months. Before he was traded, a rehab assignment was expected within a week or so, but it remains to be seen if the trade has changed those plans.

Once Rutschman does return to the lineup, though, he’ll give the Red Sox an offensive threat from the catcher position - something the team hasn’t had at all this season, helping turn a black hole in the lineup into a potential plus. This season with Baltimore, Rutschman was slashing .251/.331/.433, all while striking out just 14.1 percent of the time.

Rutschman’s defense is also among the best in the game in terms of framing, blocking, and throwing out base runners. There’s inherently some risk for the pitching staff by changing primary catchers mid-season, but Rutschman has developed an “easy-to-work-with” reputation that should quell any concerns. Furthermore, his time recovering from the injury should help him get to know his new pitchers a bit before he’s actually behind the dish.

While the Rutschman boost will be highly anticipated, the Red Sox have been able to win with a lineup that’s bought into the small-ball identity while also getting career-best seasons from Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela. That’s not to say reinforcements aren’t needed, but the Red Sox have found a groove and have the advantage of still being able to drop in new additions one at a time in a way that doesn’t mess with the chemistry too much.

If all goes as planned, Rutschman should be in the fold, hitting near the top of the order by mid-August. From there, the Sox will wait for the return of star outfielder Roman Anthony, who’s been sidelined with a finger injury since May but began taking swings again last week.

Anthony’s injury has been as far from straightforward as it gets, so it’s still not a guarantee he returns, but it’s something that would provide yet another boost if it does. He’d potentially be taking the spot of left fielder Jarren Duran, who’s been a major disappointment this year with a +61 wRC+. This would be another area of potentially turning a negative to a positive in the lineup - and perhaps a big positive at that.

The biggest remaining question the Red Sox had after the deadline was what they plan to do in the middle infield. Mayer was shipped out while Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are both still out with injuries. Neither has a timetable for return, nor do they really raise the ceiling of the group should they return.

Andruw Monasterio has carried his weight in the lineup as of late, but the defense at shortstop is still below average - something the team will need to rectify down the stretch. Furthermore, Curtis Mead was brought in to play second base, but is dealing with a wrist injury of his own. His return by the end of September or the start of the postseason would be another major boost, but hard to bank on at this point.

As such, is it possible the Red Sox biggest move yesterday was one that they didn’t make by holding onto Franklin Arias? Arias has ascended this season to be among the game’s top overall prospects and brings great defense and bat-to-ball skills to the table, as well as a newfound power stroke that’s helped him launch a career-high 21 homers across AA and AAA this season.

Arias has played just seven games in Worcester to this point, but is continuing to hit the ball hard and show no signs of slowing down. Even Craig Breslow didn’t shut down the idea of a late-season call-up when asked about it during a media availability on Monday night.

"We'll continue to take note of what (Arias) is doing,” Breslow said. “If he is the person who can help us, we'll have that conversation when it comes time."

All this is to say that although the Red Sox have put themselves in a position to compete over the last month with a “next man up” mentality and contributions from players who weren’t always major contributors to the offense, such as Monasterio, Yoshida, and Caleb Durbin.

The lineup has been able to go from anemic to respectable by putting the ball in play, moving runners, and tapping into just a bit more power than it had been getting. Sliding in Rutschman is already an upgrade, but the potential additions of Anthony, Mead, or even Arias would be gravy and then some.

In the past, fans have been soured by the idea of players returning from injuries being the pseudo-deadline additions, but this Red Sox team has found a formula that works and isn’t exactly struggling to keep its head above water thanks to a pitching staff that gives them a chance to win every day.

The Red Sox have used the last five weeks to greatly re-establish what their floor is, and while many of the other AL contenders might be finished products at this point, the Red Sox still have the chance to add more and greatly raise their ceiling down the stretch.