The Red Sox don’t look like a club that’s going to sit still at the trade deadline.
With a 13-game winning streak rolling into Monday, Boston has plenty of reason to believe it belongs in the mix, especially in an American League that feels wide open. If the New York Yankees are without Aaron Judge until September or later, the path gets even clearer. On paper, there may not be a team that’s definitively better than the Red Sox right now, and that only gets more interesting if they decide to add.
One area that stands out is the need for more right-handed pop. Beyond Willson Contreras at first base, the lineup could use another bat from that side, so the search naturally turns to trade possibilities that actually make some sense.
At the top of that list is Hunter Goodman, a catcher who has already hit 30 homers through 92 games. That kind of production is exactly the sort of thing Boston would love to have, and there’s enough chatter around the possibility of him being dealt by the Rockies that the Red Sox would be wise to ask. The catch is obvious: Goodman isn’t a free agent until after the 2029 season, which gives Colorado plenty of leverage.
Another name worth watching is Geraldo Neto. He’s one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball and would come with 3 1/2 years of team control.
The bigger issue isn’t the fit. It’s whether Boston wants to pay the kind of prospect package it would take, especially with Marcelo Mayer and Franklin Arias already in the picture.
Then there’s Tyler Stephenson, who may be the most realistic kind of target Boston ends up chasing. His two-homer game against Goodman’s Rockies on Sunday only added to the buzz, and if the Red Sox are looking for something along the lines of the Danny Jansen move from two years ago, Stephenson makes sense. He might even be a better fit than Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins.
Boston fans can dream about bigger names like Jeremy Peña or Francisco Lindor, but the more likely outcome is a player whose impact looks a lot more like Stephenson’s. That doesn’t make it a bad move. It just means the Red Sox may be shopping for the right kind of boost, not the loudest one.
In Other News...
Red Sox Suddenly Face A Risky Deadline Reunion Debate
The Red Sox have spent enough of this season building a legitimate pitching staff and staying in the playoff race that any deadline conversation now comes with a different kind of pressure. Boston does not need a splash for the sake of it, but the market is already starting to point toward names that would force the front office to weigh present-day help against long-term flexibility.
One scenario making the rounds would test that balance in a hurry, because it involves a familiar face with a hefty contract and a reliever who would instantly become one of the most coveted arms available. For Boston, the appeal is obvious on paper, but so is the risk of getting pulled into a deal that is as complicated financially as it is intriguing on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Story Suddenly Looms Over Red Sox Wild Card Push
Bostons sweep of the Rays has the club rolling at exactly the right time, and the timing only sharpens the intrigue around Trevor Story. The Red Sox are sitting in the No. 3 American League Wild Card spot and are just one game behind Cleveland for No. 2, which means every bit of help matters as the calendar turns toward the stretch run.
Story has been out since May 14 after sports hernia surgery, but his return is starting to feel close enough to matter in the standings conversation. A minor league rehab assignment appears near, though he has stopped short of putting a date on it, and once that assignment begins Boston will have a limited window before it has to make a decision on activating him. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans May Need To Take Gage Ziehl More Seriously
Gage Ziehl keeps giving the Red Sox reasons to pay attention, even if his path to Boston still looks like a longer-term project. The right-hander turned in another sharp outing for Double-A Portland, working five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and showing the kind of command and swing-and-miss stuff that can make a prospect start to move up the organizational ladder.
Ziehls rise is worth tracking because he has already been through a lot of movement for a pitcher still trying to establish himself. Boston got him this offseason in the deal that sent Jordan Hicks to the White Sox, and he had previously been traded from the Yankees to Chicago, so there has been plenty of roster churn around him already. He is not likely to reach the majors this season, but if the strong outings keep coming, Triple-A Worcester could be the next stop. [Read more 🡒]