Boston Red Sox

Like a moth drawn into a flame, fans of the Boston Red Sox were drawn in by the cunning proclamations made by team president Larry Lucchino that general manager Ben Cherington would be able to make "bold moves" at the trading deadline.

3:59 pm: nothing.

4:00 pm: nothing.

After being shellacked in his May 21 start at Baltimore, Clay Buchholz looked like a pitcher better suited for the International League than the American League.

Now, after a string of excellent performances, he looks much more like the pitcher who was an All-Star and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2010. His improvement has also launched the Sox right back into contention.

Remember back in May when Josh Beckett was embroiled in a PR snafu that involved an ill-timed golf outing?

He was supposed to be resting a sore lat muscle but hit the links instead. The worst part about it was that he missed a start.

We're through the first week of June, and even though the Boston Red Sox still sit in the bottom of the tight AL East, they've made a lot of progress since their slow start to open the season.

Their pitching is much improved and the replacements for many of the injured Boston stars have played surprisingly well.

To say that the Red Sox have no chance to make the playoffs at this point in the year is asinine. There’s even a relatively good chance that they go into the All-Star break with a lead in the AL East.

The Boston Red Sox carried last year’s horrendous momentum into the first month of 2012. The team was struggling for the most part due to their pitching and untimely hitting, and new manager Bobby Valentine was receiving most of the blame.

As of late, the Red Sox have been playing up to their potential. The team has started to put things together especially on the offensive end, but are still just a game over .500.

Sure, the non-waiver trade deadline is just about two months away. That doesn't mean the Boston Red Sox are not kicking the tires on some starting pitchers.

Their competition is, that's for sure.

The American League East division is a rat race right now. Only three games separate the first place Tampa Bay Rays and fifth place Boston Red Sox. Every team has their own respective strengths. (Interestingly enough, all are different.) 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been rumored by CBS Sports to be very interested in acquiring Kevin Youkilis.

At last, the Boston Red Sox finally made a decision on struggling starting pitcher Daniel Bard.

They sent him to Triple-A Pawtucket to try and figure things out without hurting the major league club.

The 2012 baseball season has entered its third month, and that means there are plenty of rumors floating around the league—it’s the MLB way of life.

Some trade rumors turn out to be true, while others are so asinine and crazy that only the naïve and/or inebriated would believe them.

Let the bidding begin. Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler is officially a free agent and is allowed to sign with any team, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Source: Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, 20, is now a free agent, eligible to sign with any club.