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...
Reid Detmers Suddenly Feels Like The Angels Deadline Decision
Reid Detmers has become one of the more interesting names hanging over the Angels as the deadline approaches, not just because he can help a contender, but because he fits the kind of trade chip this front office can actually use. Los Angeles is looking for promising young hitters, especially bats with some power, and that makes Detmers a potentially valuable way to address a need that has been obvious for a while.
Interim general manager John Mozeliak may have the freedom to make that call after Perry Minasian was fired, which only adds to the sense that this could be one of the more consequential decisions of the month. The Braves, Brewers and Guardians have all been floated as possible partners, and each would have a different kind of young hitter to discuss, but for now Detmers remains in the middle of a market that has not yet produced a deal. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face Franchise Defining Deadline Choice Arte Moreno Usually Avoids
The Angels are approaching the Aug. 3 deadline with a kind of decision Arte Moreno has usually preferred to avoid: weighing whether to move a young starter before the market fully settles. The clubs poor performance has pushed the conversation in a different direction, and the possibility of dealing pitching that remains under team control through 2028 gives the front office a real chance to reshape the roster rather than simply patch around it.
What makes the moment more delicate is the market itself, which has been shifting as other contenders have surged and narrowed the field of potential buyers. Interim GM John Mozeliak now has to navigate not just trade interest, but the larger question of whether Moreno will sign off on a deal that could define how the Angels approach the next few seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan Schanuel Suddenly Feels Like An Angels Deadline Decision
Nolan Schanuel has quietly become one of the more stable pieces in the Angels lineup, the kind of first baseman who does a little of everything well enough to matter. His steady on-base ability, low strikeout rate and reliable work at first base give him a profile that tends to travel, which is why he is starting to look less like a fixed part of the roster and more like the sort of player rival clubs could circle when the market shifts.
The Angels are not actively shopping him, and there is no sense they are eager to move him. Still, if the right offer shows up, the front office would have to at least consider it, especially with clubs like Arizona, Cleveland and Detroit potentially able to build a prospect-heavy package around a player who fits a lot of needs. For now, Schanuel remains in Anaheim, but the deadline conversation around him is already starting to sound a lot more real than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]