The Red Sox didn’t wait long to start shopping.
After ripping off nine straight wins before the All-Star break, Boston has pushed itself into the thick of the AL Wild Card race, sitting less than a game behind the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners for the third and final spot. That kind of surge changes everything. A team that looked like it might be on the fringe now has every reason to act like a buyer.
And the first move is in.
According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Boston has acquired outfielder Jahmai Jones from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a player to be named later.
Jones was designated for assignment by Detroit last week after a rough stretch at the plate. In 57 games, the 28-year-old hit .137/.219/.221 with two home runs and a .440 OPS. That came after a strong year offensively in 2025, but the Tigers’ usage told the story of how they viewed him: mostly as a fourth outfielder, with most of his chances coming against left-handed pitching.
That split was where Jones did his best work. Of his 150 plate appearances last season, 122 came against southpaws, and he hit .288 with a .970 OPS in those matchups.
The concern has been the swing-and-miss. Jones’ strikeout rate has climbed from 21.3% to 33.3%, while his walk rate has dropped by 2.5%.
Boston is betting it can clean some of that up. The Red Sox are taking a shot that a few mechanical adjustments can get him back on track, and they’ll have to do it without the benefit of minor league options, which Jones no longer has.
For a club that suddenly looks like a real deadline player, this is just the opening move.
In Other News...
Celtics Fans May Feel Very Different About That Jaylen Brown Trade Now
When Boston moved Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks, it was the kind of deal that immediately invited second-guessing. Brown had been a centerpiece in Boston, and any swap built around an older star and future assets was always going to be judged by how the next few seasons played out rather than by the initial reaction alone.
Now the long view looks even more complicated for Celtics fans, because the leagues latest scrutiny around Kawhi Leonard has only added to the sense that star-player trades can turn on factors no one sees coming. Bostons return from Philadelphia includes a pick that could carry real weight down the line, and the value of any future asset in this kind of deal often depends on how quickly a contenders window shifts. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens Somehow Changed The Red Sox Mood In Boston
The Celtics blockbuster move involving Jaylen Brown and Paul George landed at just about the same time the Red Sox started heating up, and in a city that lives and breathes its sports moods, the timing has been impossible to ignore. There is no real connection between the two, of course, but Boston has a long memory for coincidences that feel bigger than they are, especially when one teams headline seems to line up with anothers surge.
Since that trade, the Red Sox have kept winning, turning the kind of random overlap fans joke about into a small running story around town. The streak has stretched long enough to make the calendar feel like part of the narrative, with Bostons baseball team carrying the positive energy all the way to the break and leaving the kind of lingering question sports fans love to ask, even when they know better. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics May Be Seeing Dillon Mitchell Answer His Biggest Red Flag
Dillon Mitchell arrived in Boston with one obvious question hanging over his game, and Summer League has offered the Celtics at least a promising early answer. The second-round picks shooting was a concern after a rough three-point showing in college, but his jumper has looked smoother in Las Vegas, with Bostons coaching staff working alongside him to clean up the mechanics and give him a more reliable base to build on.
Mitchell has also played with more confidence, which matters just as much for a young wing trying to carve out a role. The Celtics have made his development a priority since the draft, and Mitchell has embraced the process, knowing the path forward is about repetition, comfort and proving the shot can hold up when the games get real. [Read more 🡒]