Boston Red Sox
“Boston isn’t discounting pursuing help before Aug. 3.”
Will the Red Sox make significant moves ath the deadline, or do what they’ve done in recent years and stand pat? AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
July 17, 2026 | 5:27 PM
2 minutes to read
The Boston Red Sox continue to make a really good case for why chief baseball officer Craig Breslow should add, not sell, at this year’s MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3.
The team won its 10th straight game, 10-0, in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays and looks to make it 11 (and return to .500) in the second game at 7:10 p.m Eastern Time.
Everything is firing on all cylinders for the club on the diamond, even after this week’s exciting All-Star break festivities. The offense is scoring early, late, and often. The starting rotation is perpetually nails, as is the bullpen. The interim manager, Chad Tracy, seems to be pressing all the correct buttons. He’s undoubtedly contributed to bettering the vibes surrounding the 2026 Red Sox since taking over for Alex Cora in April.
What was once a lost season not that long ago has turned around 180 degrees and become a legitimate American League threat.
Despite recent on-field success, Breslow is reportedly not ready to make a decision quite yet regarding the trade deadline.
Boston’s plans for the deadline, which is two-and-a-half weeks away, “are fluid,” according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“For now, their plans are fluid. Boston isn’t discounting pursuing help before Aug. 3,” Passan wrote on Friday. “The Red Sox also know that, for an entire half of the season, they personified mediocrity and that 15 games does not a season make.
“So, like many others, they’re weighing their options, knowing that if they stumble, they can pivot into dump mode and make a killing with [Aroldis] Chapman as well as potentially [Sonny] Gray, Willson Contreras and Garrett Whitlock.”
MLB insider Jon Morosi offered a reported update on Chapman’s future. He shared on X on Friday that Boston deciding to trade the All-Star closer “is increasingly unlikely to happen at all.”
Morosi referenced the Red Sox’ ever-increasing playoff odds, which stand at 44.3 percent, according to FanGraphs, following Boston’s Game 1 victory.
The MLB trade front remains quiet after the All-Star break, so the Red Sox haven’t yet missed out on anything.
But it’s only a matter of time before deals begin flying off the shelves. Boston will need to make a decision soon, or risk standing pat once again under Breslow’s front office leadership.
As is usual under the Breslow regime, the organization is tight-lipped regarding possible interest ahead of the deadline. But it’s easy to assume the team, if they are indeed buyers, will be on the hunt for a right-handed hitter.
A report from ESPN’s Buster Olney early last month said Boston was “aggressively” trying to add a right-handed bat and would even be willing to take on a bad contract to do so.
While the Red Sox are hitting as well as they have all season over the course of their lengthy win streak, how long is it going to last? Utility guys like Anthony Seigler are behind their recent offensive success, who the front office should be realistic about as they think about what to do with the roster over the next two-plus weeks.
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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