The end of the Atlanta Braves series marked a third of the season completed for the Boston Red Sox, and what a horrible season it's truly been so far.
Standing at 23-32 entering play on Friday, the Red Sox clearly aren't where they expected to be. It's not too late on paper to turn things around, yet nothing the Red Sox have shown us on the diamond exudes hope that there's another caliber of baseball in store.
Still, a lot can change over the course of four months, and our job here is to predict some of the most significant developments. Here are our three boldest, most consequential predictions between now and October.
Aroldis Chapman gets traded
It's not going to be an easy decision. The Red Sox will be under .500 still, but within a few games of the final wild card spot. But the market demand for a reliever of Chapman's caliber is going to be extremely high this summer, and it's not obvious that any others will be available.
The Red Sox and Chapman agreed to a $13 million vesting option for next if the lefty hits 40 innings this year, so he's not a true rental. But even if he's treated like one, he could be worth a top 100 prospect, maybe even two, plus some throw-ins.
Roman Anthony returns, catches fire
The frustration every Red Sox fan feels about Roman Anthony's sophomore season so far is warranted. But as long as he doesn't go back to the injured list again when his finger ligament is fully healed, he's going to spend the rest of the season reminding the fan base why he deserved that $130 million extension last August.
Anthony's numbers after July 1 last year, in case anyone needs a refresher: .318/.417/.503 slash line, seven home runs, 26 RBIs, and 98 total bases in 52 games. That star talent didn't just evaporate during his early-season struggles.
Red Sox fire Craig Breslow
The bet Breslow made last month was fairly clear. In firing longtime manager Alex Cora and most of his coaching staff, he was shifting the blame for the team's slow start and banking on a turnaround to keep him in power as chief baseball officer.
If this Boston team can't rally and make the playoffs, Breslow getting the axe seems like a strong likelihood. And maybe that keeps him from fulfilling the Chapman trade prediction, but maybe he also won't have any choice in the matter if a directive comes down from the owner's suite.