Trade Rumors, or Lack There Of

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, that means only one thing for the Boston Red Sox. Not much. Ever since Nomar was dealt out of town to the Cubbies in ’04, there hasn’t been anything much to speak of when it came to mid-season trading. The only thing that GM Theo Epstein has allegedly been looking for is more right arms to bolster the bullpen a little bit. With Mike Timlin not getting any younger and Brenden Donally having repeated setbacks in his bid to return, a couple healthy arms would be nice.

Octavio Dotel, Kansas City Royals – Dotel was an offseason acquisition for incoming GM Dayton Moore in this past year and Moore may be looking to deal the veteran closer. With the Royals he’s posted a 2-1 record with a 3.32 ERA and has nine saves in 12 tries. He’s a second option if regular closer Joakim Soria is not available and has looked sharp in the first half of 2007, despite missing several weeks with an oblique injury.

I wish I could tell you more, but this is seriously the only big trade that could happen, and expect to see prospects traded for Dotel, no players off the 25 man roster. The only real possibility for a regular player is Wily Mo Pena, which wouldn’t be a huge loss. The only other big name circulating that hasn’t been shut down was been Texas closer Eric Gagne, however that seems about as likely as trading for Mariano Rivera with All-Stars Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima trading save opportunities. There were some rumblings about Houston Astro Brandon Lidge, but the ‘Stros shut that one down pretty quick.

With the way the Sox are rolling, I’d be surprised if they did anything drastic. Teams wheel and deal during the season when they are trying to jettison some veterans for prospects or teams that are looking for a kick in the pants to try and compete for a playoff spot. The Sox are doing neither, and haven’t been for the past few years relying mainly on off season free agent signings.

Tonight, the Sox will face off against the Royals for the second game in a three game series. First time Royals starter Leo Nunez will start against Sox veteran Tim Wakefield, who is going for his fourth straight win.