Red Sox have become MLB's hottest team as pitching and offseason additions fuel dramatic turnaround

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As of today, the Boston Red Sox have arguably been the best team in baseball for the past two weeks. They are 13-2 in their last 15 games, and have swept three of their last four series, and are looking for their fourth sweep tomorrow afternoon.

This Red Sox team is a completely different one from the start of the season, and it seems like there's a few key reasons why.

The team is firing on all cylinders

Right now, the main thing carrying Boston is their pitching and defense, which is what they were counting on when building the team. Their depth is so great, they lost their Cy Young runner-up ace in Garrett Crochet back in April, yet are still arguably the best rotation in baseball.

Sonny Gray has picked up the slack, becoming the ace Boston needs in Crochet’s absence; he’s 11-1, has a 2.54 ERA, and was somehow the biggest snub of this year’s All-Star game.

The hitting has finally picked up as well, as Boston has finally stopped trying for hero power shots, and has opted to simply get on base for the few hot hitters on the team to get them in. And, the hottest of those hitters came from an unexpected place.

Biggest contributors are Breslow acquisitions

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Usually Boston CBO Craig Breslow receives only negative feedback from fans, as he traded away Chris Sale and Rafael Devers for peanuts, and let Alex Bregman, the leader of their team last season, walk in free agency.

However, it’s hard not to give credit where credit is due. The acquisitions he got this year are doing great for Boston. Willson Contreras is an All-Star and top ten hitter in the MLB, Caleb Durbin is finally picking up the slack at third base, while Gray, Ranger Suarez, and Jake Bennett are dominating in the rotation.

Even guys like Anthony Seigler are helping Boston win games, and he was a footnote in the trade for Durbin.

Where does Boston go from here?

If Boston can win tomorrow, they will be 14-2 in their last 16 games, and will have swept four of five series, three of which in a row and on the road. They also have a chance at finally being in the Wild Card, as they are only 0.5 games behind the final spot.

With that in mind, they need to be buyers at the deadline; getting another slugger at shortstop, DH or catcher is a must. A guy like Jeremy Pena would be great, but they would have to give up a decent amount, as the Houston Astros are in the hunt as well.

Hopefully, Boston has a plan, and for the first trade deadline in a while, actually acts upon it.

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