It's time to start looking at this Red Sox team differently

The narrative for the Red Sox since Opening Day - and even before - has been an easy one for New England sports fans to lean into. They didn't invest. They are looking more at 2025 than 2024. They will try hard but to think this roster, particularly without the likes of Lucas Giolito, Trevor Story and, most recently, Triston Casas, hanging with the big boys is a pipe dream.

And, for most of the past few months, the Sox' record and spot in the standings really did nothing to elicit any significant buy-in.

But as the Celtics' celebration drifts away, and we anxiously await reports on how Drake Maye is performing in 7-on-7's, it's worth taking another look at what exactly these Red Sox represent.

The Sox are a team which would currently qualify as a postseason participant, sitting just one game out of a the Wild Card's second spot. After taking two of three against the Reds, they are now six game over .500 with the fourth-best run-differential in the American League.

After winning series against a couple of heavyweights - the Phillies and Yankees - at Fenway, Alex Cora's club has used the feel-good six games as a springboard, taking all but one of its six games on the recent road trip.

Then there is the roster.

There are three active players - Rafael Devers, Masa Yoshida and Kenley Jansen - who are making more than $7.5 million this season. And all but three position players are hauling in less than $2 million in 2024. That dynamic has contributed to the perspective and narrative.

But the reality is that it is a roster that currently offers an unexpected sense of security for Cora.

There are five legitimate candidates to make the American League All-Star team, with Jarren Duran, Tanner Houck, Rafael Devers, Connor Wong and Kenley Jansen all worthy of serious consideration.

Also of note: Three Red Sox - David Hamilton, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu - have at least entered in the Rookie of the Year odds.

This is also a team that along the way have figured out who they are, a feat even some of the more talented clubs can be struggling with heading into trade deadline season.

While Rob Refsnyder (whose success also represents some more attention) is the only position player in his 30's, the dynamic of the position players all living life relatively in the same stage of life seems to be more of a positive than a negative. They don't know what they don't know, a reality that seems to be embraced on a daily basis.

What they do know is this concoction of skill-sets have found a groove.

In the last two weeks, no team has won as many games as the Red Sox (10). Over that span they have scored the fifth-most runs, managed the second-best batting average, the fifth-best OPS, and, of course, stolen the most bases, going 23 of 27 in attempts.

While the previous bread-and-butter of the team - the starting pitching - has settled into the middle of the MLB pack during the 13-game stretch, the bullpen has picked up the slack. It is a group of relievers who have allowed just three home runs with a 2.58 ERA while going 8-for-8 in save opportunities. Also, just four of the 24 the relief pitchers' inherited runners have scored.

So, where does that leave Craig Breslow leading up to 6 p.m. on July 30 (otherwise known as the trade deadline)?

In terms of what this team will need to fill in the gaps, right now that would be another starting pitcher and a right-handed-hitting middle-infielder/designated hitter. Both of those items would seem to be attainable.

But in this existence, this isn't a no-doubt-about-it, we're-trading-for-Steve Pearce type of situation. The current landscape doesn't offer that luxury.

For starters, finding definitive sellers right now isn't easy. Colorado. Miami. The Angels. The White Sox. Oakland. There you have it. And don't think for a moment those teams don't understand they own a significant chunk of leverage.

There is also the question as to how the Red Sox chief decision-makers will define their franchise's existence. It is understood that Breslow won't be sacrificing the foundational minor leaguers for a run this year. It just isn't going to happen. But that doesn't mean moves can't be made. Remember the player the Red Sox traded for Kyle Schwarber? Didn't think so. That would be Aldo Ramirez, who hasn't pitched professionally since 2021.

Another element to keep an eye on is exactly how the Red Sox view their financial commitment heading into the final few months. We know the '30-to-1' Red Sox didn't get a huge investment in the offseason, but this might be their second chance.

When it comes to getting the key players at this trade deadline, it is believed by many that the teams willing to flex their financial might will have the upper-hand. That's both taking on contracts, and paying down on current contracts of players being dealt in order to secure better returns.

Two weeks from now, maybe we are in the same weird middle-ground the last two deadlines presented.

But a big part of guiding a team through this critical time of year is having the ability to read the room. And, even more than 2022 or 2023, it is a group that firmly believes it should be believed in.

The odds of the Red Sox making the postseason are, after all, all the way up to 37 percent.