Deadline latest: Sizing up Sox, Padres, Giants

It was only one year ago that the Red Sox were steamrolling their way through the American League, moving 40 games over .500 on July 23.

Through 101 games this season, Boston has yet to reach the 10-over-.500 mark, leaving them scratching and clawing to stay relevant in the American League East, where they face a double-digit deficit behind the first-place Yankees.

And while a postseason berth is certainly within their reach, the Red Sox -- who sit only two games behind the Athletics for the second AL Wild Card spot -- might opt to sell off some pieces before the July 31 Trade Deadline and look toward 2020 if this week’s series against the Rays at Tropicana Field doesn’t go their way.

• MLB's new Trade Deadline rules explained

“The Tampa series will be huge,” a source said, suggesting the Red Sox could become sellers if they lose the series and fall further behind Cleveland, Oakland and Tampa Bay in the Wild Card race.

The Red Sox looked like they felt a sense of urgency Monday night, bashing their way to a 9-4 win over the Rays.

The three-game series is the start of a 14-game stretch against the Rays and Yankees, with six games against Tampa Bay and eight against New York. The Yankees are 6-1 against the Red Sox this season, so a bad showing against the Rays could be a sign that things are going to get worse.

What might a Red Sox sell-off even look like?

David Price, Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Xander Bogaerts are each signed through at least 2022 for significant money, so it’s unlikely any of them would be moved.

The most obvious candidate would be J.D. Martinez, assuming that the Red Sox believe he’s planning to opt out of the final three years and $62.5 million of his contract at the end of the season. Martinez isn’t having as strong a season as he did last year, but given the lack of hitting depth in next offseason’s free-agent class, most in the industry expect him to opt out. His contract allows him to block trades to only three teams, leaving 26 clubs for the Red Sox to shop him to if they decide to sell.

Jackie Bradley Jr., who is under control through the end of next season, would likely draw some interest from contenders looking for a defensive upgrade in center field. Bradley opened the year with a .520 OPS and three homers in his first 45 games, but he’s posted a .935 OPS with eight home runs in the 45 games since, contributing to the lineup, too.

Mookie Betts is also under control through the end of 2020, so while it would be a shock to see him traded this month, what if a team overwhelmed Dave Dombrowski with a huge offer?

Boston’s impending free agents include Rick Porcello, Mitch Moreland, Steve Pearce and Brock Holt, though none of those players figure to bring back any significant return.

Pitching prospects

The Padres were connected to a number of high-profile pitchers last offseason, both on the trade market (Noah Syndergaard, Corey Kluber) and in free agency (Dallas Keuchel), and while their postseason prospects aren’t great – San Diego is five games out of an National League Wild Card spot, with seven clubs ahead of them in the race – it seems general manager A.J. Preller is still searching for rotation help.

“The Padres are trying to be aggressive,” a source said, noting that starting pitching appears to be their main desire, specifically somebody to lead their young staff.

There are a number of trade targets out there, including Madison Bumgarner, Marcus Stroman, Matthew Boyd, Zack Wheeler and Mike Minor, though a rival executive believes Preller will wait until the offseason to make a move for a starter rather than shelling out mid-summer prices.

“The Padres have always been tied to pitchers since the offseason,” the executive said. “They can just wait until the winter to get free-agent pitchers. If they’re not contending, there’s no reason to give up players now.”

In addition to Bumgarner and Wheeler, other free-agent starters this offseason include Gerrit Cole, Keuchel, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Jake Odorizzi.

Giant decision

The Giants, who entered the week only 2 1/2 games out of the second NL Wild Card spot, might be the most interesting pre-Deadline team to watch.

Many assume that San Francisco’s buy/sell decision will go down to the wire as it remains in postseason contention, but a source close to the team isn’t so sure.

“Can't turn down a good return when it presents itself,” the source said.

Bumgarner, Will Smith, Tony Watson and Sam Dyson are all drawing interest, while other players, including Kevin Pillar and Pablo Sandoval, could also help contending teams.

No relief on asking prices

Several contenders around the league are in search of bullpen help, and while there are plenty of relievers available -- and even more likely to be attainable before July 31 -- the asking prices for those relief arms were “still ridiculously high” as of this past weekend.

Shane Greene, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, Daniel Hudson, Alex Colome and Mychal Givens are all believed to be on the market, while others including Kirby Yates, Greg Holland, Will Smith, Sam Dyson and Tony Watson could become available if their teams decide to sell.