Red Sox Owner Predicts Quiet Deadline

Red Sox principal owner John Henry told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he doesn't expect his team to look significantly different once the trade deadline passes and the calendar flips to August.

"We like this team, so I don't anticipate many changes at all," Henry said. "I think more so than in years past. Obviously, we could use a strong right-handed bat, but this year that's a difficult commodity to get."

Opportunity will drive Boston's decisions, according to Henry. Despite suggestions that the Red Sox are up against baseball's luxury tax, the owner suggested prospects, rather than money, will be the biggest obstacle GM Theo Epstein faces when weighing potential deals.

Yesterday Epstein said the Red Sox still have prospect depth after giving up Anthony Rizzo, Casey Kelly and Reymond Fuentes last offseason. The GM suggested that Boston's most important summer reinforcements may not arrive via trades. Instead the return of injured players such as Clay Buchholz could provide the 59-37 club with a boost.