Red Sox Need to Trade for Jose Abreu if They're Going to Buy at the Deadline

There are two approaches to building a team and/or improving said team at the MLB trade deadline. Either try to make as well-rounded a roster as possible with minimal weak spots or load up on one area of the team in order to make it so dominant that it alone will carry you to postseason glory.

Dave Dombrowski and the Boston Red Sox have opted for the latter in recent years, building one of the deepest lineups in baseball that brought them a World Series. However, with Mitch Moreland out and the Red Sox in third in the AL East, they need to make a big splash to stay in the wild card hunt, and Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu fits the mold.

Hitting .271 with 21 home runs in his third All-Star season, Abreu remains as consistent a hitter at the first base position as there is in the American League. Additionally, he's a free agent after this year, so he won't cost a prohibitive amount and the Sox could have first dibs at re-signing him if they wish.

If the Red Sox want to be buyers at the deadline, trading for Abreu and sticking him in the No. 5 hole in the lineup could be too much power for other teams to overcome. Imagine fielding a lineup where Mookie Betts leads off, Andrew Benintendi and JD Martinez follow him up, Rafael Devers cleans up, and Abreu is there to drive in whatever is left.

The bullpen is still a disaster, sure, but the thought of putting Abreu in that lineup could have the makings of an unstoppable batting order on any given day, which would take pressure off the pitching staff as a whole.