If you are the average Red Sox fan – that is, if you have been tossing and turning after going to bed grumpy for the past few days – the Adam LaRoche deal does not particularly excite you. LaRoche has been mired in a slump of his own for the past several weeks, so the hope is that the left-hand hitting first baseman will gaze lovingly at The Wall this weekend and be inspired to greatness.

Time will tell if The Wall becomes LaRoche’s savior this summer. The question now becomes, does Theo Epstein have a bigger deal up his sleeve?

There are sound arguments to suggest that the Red Sox may not done shopping, and that includes their ongoing interest in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. Now that Tim Wakefield is on the DL, joining Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox’ rotation is not nearly as vaunted as it seemed when things were going well and the Yankees were growing smaller in the rear-view mirror.

Then again, owner John Henry offered his take on Twitter after last night’s loss in Texas, advising fans not to expect any blockbuster deals.

The Red Sox’ offensive woes should not be brushed aside as simply a mid-season slump. They have been among the worst teams in the American League in stranding baserunners, and no longer could anyone seriously argue that such a sloppy production percentage is simply the byproduct of putting a lot of men on base. Whether they admit it or not, starting pitchers become frustrated and sometimes resentful when handed the ball every five days with the knowledge that they can’t give up more than a run or two to have a reasonable chance of winning.

They need a jump-start, and quickly. The Yankees, with the best record in baseball since Alex Rodriguez’s return in May, could be just a couple of weeks away from getting the Red Sox and Rays focused more on a battle for the wild-card berth than a division title.

Tags: Adam LaRoche, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Roy Halladay, Theo Epstein, Tim Wakefield