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Farrell: Every effort is being made to make trades

Winslow Townson / Reuters

The Boston Red Sox missed out on Todd Frazier and have yet to swing a deal just 10 days before the non-waiver trade deadline, but manager John Farrell says it's not due to a lack of trying.

"I can tell you every effort is being made to," Farrell said when asked about the Red Sox chances of making a trade before the July 31 deadline, according to Scott Lauber of ESPN.

The Red Sox sit atop the American League East, though their lead is anything but comfortable following a 4-6 stretch. The Tampa Bay Rays are just 2 1/2 games back, while the New York Yankees sit 3 1/2 back and are coming off a blockbuster deal in which they fortified their bullpen and added Frazier.

Boston's primary needs are at third base and in the bullpen.

The Red Sox rank last in the majors with a .606 OPS at third base, as Deven Marrero has received the bulk of playing time at the position. While he's a strong defender, he's hitting just .214/.256/.324 with three home runs and 48 strikeouts in 55 games.

Mike Moustakas, Jed Lowrie, Eduardo Nunez, David Freese, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yunel Escobar are all potential trade targets at the position.

Meanwhile, Boston's bullpen has been one of the best in baseball this season, but with Joe Kelly on the disabled list, Carson Smith's timeline unknown, and Robby Scott regressing this month, the club could stand to add a late-inning arm - preferably a left-hander.

The Red Sox have been linked to Detroit Tigers closer Justin Wilson (a lefty), while New York Mets right-hander Addison Reed is among the options.

"I think (adding players at the trade deadline) is always a plus," Farrell added. "It's a strong sign that everyone is aligned to support, add to, fortify, however you want to describe it, an area of need. There's almost an injection of maybe that support or further momentum that, 'OK, this is going to better equip us to go deep into the season.'"

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