After an embarrassing shutout loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, the Boston Red Sox relinquished the outright lead in the AL East division for the first time since May 27, as the Tampa Bay Rays have recently surged to grab a 1/2 game lead over Boston.
Boston has posted a 3-4 record since the All-Star break and has looked lost at times in those games, particularly throughout their three-game series loss to the Rays earlier in the week.
With the trade deadline approaching on Wednesday, Boston appears to be in full recognition of their problems and should address them in the coming week.
Starting pitching has been a struggle throughout much of the 2013 season, as starters have either battled through injuries or bouts of inconsistency. The same can be said of the situation at third, as Will Middlebrooks has been a disappointment and Jose Iglesias appears to be running out of gas at the corner.
What follows is an analysis of the five players that Boston may need to acquire in the coming days to solidify a successful playoff run down the stretch.
