With their pitching staff in the jaws of agony, their infield in flux (thanks, National League) and the offense seeing little to no production from the right field spot, Theo Epstein knows that the Red Sox could improve themselves by the July 31 trade deadline.
But he also knows it won't be easy.
As Peter Gammons reported earlier in the week, the Sox aren't in position to take on more salary at the deadline, but Epstein doesn't deny that Boston might make a big deal, perhaps for help in right field, perhaps to shore up the long relief, where Alfredo Aceves has been the only one to give the team help.
It's worth noting, too, that Boston may not have the means that it usually does to go execute the big move - after trading away three of their top prospects for Adrian Gonzalez, they aren't about to mortgage the farm for a bullpen rental, and certainly not for a stopgap in right, where J.D. Drew's lack of production has become a concern.
And they don't need to, either. With plenty of arms in the system that could make a difference, Josh Reddick playing well in place of Carl Crawford and Ryan Kalish getting close to returning from a shoulder injury, if Boston can get healthy again, they shouldn't need to make a big move.