January 5, 2009 Bradford: Economy may be in Sox' favor Play video

(NECN) - Mike Giardi welcomes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com into the NECN studio for some Hot Stove talk of the baseball variety.

And while baseball is the main focus of the discussion, it's so hard to keep the country's struggling economy out of the conversation. The Boston Red Sox have made some minor additions this offseason compared to the signings made by the New York Yankees -- CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixiera.

But a quiet offseason may pay off come the 2009 trade deadline, especially if the economy digs deeper into the tank.

"What they (the Red Sox) have going for them is that, in this economy, I think halfway through the year, if the economy stays bad -- I hate to say that they're going to take advantage of the bad economy -- but it might be the case," Bradford said. "Some of these other teams say, 'listen, you know we signed some guys to contracts here that we're not thrilled about and we're going to be willing to trade them' -- and they can fill in the gaps that way."

Teams that are out of contention at midseason are typically sellers in the trade market. At the upcoming trade deadline, the Red Sox may be buyers -- at a bargain basement price.

For more from Mike Giardi on the Red Sox and all things Boston sports, visit BostonScore.com.