Red Sox Pregame Notes 7/30/14 -Trade Deadline Approaching! Lackey Gone?

Less than 24 hours before the deadline!  Photo courtesy of MLB.com

Boston, MA- Thursday at 4pm, Thursday at 4pm! That's the time the window for trades ends. According to too many media sources, the Red Sox are shopping Jon Lester, Mike Carp, John Lackey, and pretty much anyone else they can. Rumor has it John Lackey has asked to be traded. Felix Doubront has moved on to the Cubs in a trade for cash and possibly a Rule 5 player. It must be an awful clubhouse to be in right now, because anyone could be moving.

Jon Lester was supposed to start tonight, but because he is rumored to be traded, manager John Farrell wanted him to miss his start. I look at this two ways. One, he skips a start so he can't get hurt and in turn, effect his trade value. On the other way, Farrell sat Lester as well because I am sure the lefty is not right in his head. His last two tweets have eventually admitted that he loves playing in Boston, but that he knows the end is near. There have been numerous connections to AL East foe Baltimore. The Orioles have the prospects to land the 2014 All-Star too.

Down in Pawtucket, Anthony Ranaudo had his start moved to Friday, which lines up perfectly with Lackey's next start in Boston. That could be a hint that Lackey has a good chance to be traded and if he goes, Ranaudo will start in his place on the same number of rest days.

In Boston tonight, both Mike Carp and David Ortiz are out of the lineup tonight. Ortiz is going nowhere, and is just taking a scheduled day off, but Mike Carp may be sitting because he is in line to be traded. Last week, the utility man asked for a trade because he wasn't getting any playing time. With only around 100 at bats this year, a contending team might be interested in the 1B/OF former top prospect.

With all of this being said, we've got a baseball game to play! Boston takes on Toronto at Fenway Park. Brandon Workman faces Mark Buehrle at 7:10pm. Workman is up from AAA Pawtucket. This is his eighth start for Boston this year, and he is 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA. Buehrle has gone winless since June 1 after he started the season on fire, going 9-1 in April and May.

The starting lineup for tonight's Red Sox:
1) Holt 1B
2) Victorino RF
3) Pedroia 2B
4) Napoli DH
5) Gomes LF
6) Drew SS
7) Bogaerts 3B
8) Bradley CF
9) Vazquez C

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