The Boston Red Sox have looked nothing like a team poised to buy at the trade deadline in the early going this year, but it's far too early to write them off as sellers, so let's set the stage for them as hypothetical buyers.
The most obvious area in need of immediate upgrade is the bullpen, which ranks 25th in the majors with a 4.19 ERA entering play on Wednesday and has tallied 12 losses with 10 blown saves in 17 chances.
With seven saves on the year recorded by six different pitchers, it's clear they don't have a true shutdown arm to handle ninth-inning duties, and the fact that Garrett Whitlock has moved into the starting rotation has further weakened the relief corps.