The Red Sox’s July surge has changed the conversation in Boston. A team that looked like a seller not long ago is suddenly back in the AL Wild Card mix, and that shift opens the door to a different kind of deadline thinking: not a teardown, but a targeted offensive add.
One idea floating around is a particularly interesting one because of who’s involved. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic suggested Boston could land four-time All-Star designated hitter George Springer from the rival Toronto Blue Jays for just one low-level prospect.
“George Springer to the Boston Red Sox for LHP Jojo Ingrassia (A+),” Bannon proposed. "... Ingrassia is Boston's 30th-ranked prospect and hasn't moved through the minors very fast after putting up a 1.85 ERA in Single-A in 2024."
It’s the kind of trade that would turn heads simply because Red Sox-Blue Jays deals are rare enough on their own. And from Toronto’s side, moving Springer would at least bring back something for a player who is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season.
For Boston, the cost would be modest. Ingrassia is not the sort of prospect the organization would be expected to miss, and Springer would bring a recognizable bat with a built-in connection to the area. As Bannon noted, he “grew up a two-hour drive from Fenway Park,” which would make the fit even more intriguing.
The production, though, has been uneven. Springer has spent all but one of his appearances at DH this season, but the numbers haven’t matched his resume.
In 276 at-bats, he has 10 home runs, 26 RBIs, a .225 batting average, and a .691 OPS. His 88 OPS+ is the lowest of his 13-year MLB career.
Even so, there’s a plausible role here. Boston could use Springer as a right-handed platoon option at DH alongside Masataka Yoshida, and his work against lefties this season - a .243 average and .778 OPS - gives the idea at least some footing.
It’s still only a hypothetical, and the fact that the teams are division rivals makes the path harder. But with the Red Sox trying to hold onto a postseason spot after their July run, Springer would be the kind of creative addition that could make sense.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Fans Are Saying Goodbye To A Rogers Centre Tradition
For 17 seasons, fans arriving at Rogers Centre could count on hearing Tessi Perrier, better known as Saxy Sady, setting the tone outside the ballpark on Blue Jays home dates. Her saxophone became part of the game-day scene in Toronto, a familiar pregame soundtrack for supporters who made the trip downtown and a small but steady piece of the clubs identity around the stadium.
Perrier has now stepped away from that role after a final performance following a Blue Jays win, closing the book on a run that stretched across generations of home games. Her retirement comes not long after another longtime gameday fixture, Rockin' Rick Donaldson, also moved on, leaving a noticeable gap in the unofficial cast that has long helped give Blue Jays nights around the Rogers Centre their own character. [Read more 🡒]
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Fenway Park turned into a scene during Bostons game against the Blue Jays, with Red Sox fans joining the tarps off movement and ripping off their shirts to wave them in the stands. What started as a college football celebration and later caught on in MLB with Cardinals fans has become one of those crowd rituals that can tilt a ballparks mood, and Bostons version had the kind of energy that made the game feel bigger than a single night on the schedule.
The shirt-waving did not stay tucked into one corner of the stadium, either, as it spread across the park and gave the place a full-throated, almost chaotic look from the Toronto side of things. St. Louis has already leaned into the trend with a dedicated high-energy section at Busch Stadium, and Fenways latest burst of it is another reminder that the Blue Jays can run into a road environment where the crowd is as much a storyline as the baseball. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Give Buck Martinez The Honor He Deserves
Buck Martinez is getting another fitting chapter in a Blue Jays story that already spans generations. The club will induct him into its newly renamed Hall of Excellence next August, and the honor comes with a special bobblehead that nods to the many ways he has shaped the franchise, from behind the plate to the dugout to the broadcast booth. After retiring in February following Torontos 2025 World Series run, Martinez will join a select group as the 12th member of the Hall.
For Blue Jays fans, the tribute feels especially right because Martinez has never been just one thing to this organization. He was a player, a manager and, for years, one of the most familiar voices around the team, which is why the club chose to capture all of those eras in one keepsake. The celebration will add another layer to a career already woven deeply into the franchises identity, even as the full scope of the days recognition is still to come. [Read more 🡒]