Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington insisted the team's front office is not giving up on 2014 just yet, and said the next couple of weeks are crucial in determining what the team does at the trade deadline.

"We're going to do whatever we feel gives the Red Sox the best chance to be as good as possible as quickly as possible," he said. "And we are not conceding 2014 with that statement."

GM Ben Cherington says the Red Sox's unproductive offense has proved to be the team's downfall. Jim Davis/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Appearing on WEEI's "Dennis & Callahan" on Thursday morning, Cherington said he feels the Red Sox are capable of being better than several of the teams ahead of them in the standings, and that there's a chance for a second-half run.

"We've put ourselves in this position, so the math is working against us a little bit," he said. "But stranger things have happened. We don't see why we can't win more games than most of the teams ahead of us."

He acknowledged that, at this point, the odds are against a Red Sox resurrection, and that the front office is engaged in trade conversations as the July 31 deadline nears.

Cherington also took the blame for the team's worst first half in nearly 20 years, pointing to an unproductive offense as the deadly flaw.