Red Sox 2025 Trade Deadline Thread

[Maxbialystock]

8 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

The message this sends to the players is clear: "we do not believe in you enough to provide you with the additional help you need to make a run at a ring". It has to be demoralizing so I expect that many will give up to an extent and the tanking I wanted before the deadline will take place naturally now. Henry has to sell the team....its the only way.

 I think it says the Sox FO likes the players they have.  Heck, they dumped the greatest Sox hitter ever and got better!  Both Gonzalez and Toro have higher OPS's than Devers' .692.  So do 8 other Sox regulars.  

Crochet, Bello, and Giolito are the best top 3 in the rotation since 2018 and the team ERA is ranked 10th, the best since 2018.  Forget the total errors.  Individual DWAR's say this is the best Sox defense in a long time.  The lineup is 4th in MLB in runs scored and 5th in OPS.  The bullpen has a pretty good duo in Chapman and Whitlock, plus guys like Weissert (ERA 2.93), Wilson (ERA 2.65), and Murphy (ERA 2.70) who can contribute.  New lefty Matz, ERA 3.44, could also help.  

I would have loved for Breslow to get a frontline starter and believe he tried.  I think trying to get a better first baseman and/or backup catcher was unnecessary.  

Cora has even been able to solve the "too many outfielders" problem by moving Rafaela to 2b or Anthony to DH.  Speaking of Anthony, he is now leading off because his OBP is .402.  

 

To be honest, I would have loved to get a frontline starter, but think the FO almost certainly tried to get one.  

[mvp 78]

Devers OPS 834

Devers since trade OPS 692

Toro OPS 719

Toro since trade OPS 566

Masataka Yoshida OPS 625

Red Sox would be a better team with Devers than Toro and Masa. 

[dgalehouse]

The overreaction to the deadline is not surprising. Red Sox fans (and baseball fans in general) are a miserable bunch who thrive on complaining about things. Whether it's " he decimated the farm", " he overpaid" or " he didn't do anything", they will always find reasons to be unhappy. Breslow has previously made moves that turned the Sox from a last place team into a legitimate contender. Now, he is a bum who should be fired because he didn't trade for Merrill Kelly or Joe Ryan at the deadline. But he did pick up two pretty good pitchers who could help down the stretch, without giving up much in return. The outrage we are seeing is unwarranted, but all too familiar and predictable. And please spare me/us the stale cop out line, " I hope I'm wrong ".  That sounds so phony. All is not lost. Far from it.  This is a good ballclub that is gaining confidence by the day. 

[Bellhorn04]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Devers OPS 834

Devers since trade OPS 692

Toro OPS 719

Toro since trade OPS 566

Masataka Yoshida OPS 625

Red Sox would be a better team with Devers than Toro and Masa. 

Yeah sure, let's just leave out Romy's numbers at 1B and Refsnyder's at DH.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Yeah sure, let's just leave out Romy's numbers at 1B.

Why does Max keep posting Toro's full season numbers but only Raffy's SF numbers? I was pretty fair TBH. 

Romy's best games since Devers left were while he played 2b! 

[Randy Red Sox]

15 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

Not a miser, but also not the big spender he was, 2002-2018/19.  

In case you've forgotten, Breslow was allowed to spend big bucks on Crochet, Bregman, and Chapman.  How did that work out?  The Sale thing was awful, but Giolito has actually been decent this year even though the Sox are paying $40M for one semi-good season.  

Plus don't forget that John Henry is still overpaying for Yoshida and Story--although I do think Story has been invaluable this year.  

And right now letting Devers go to the Giants looks like genius.  They've gotten worse with him.  And the Sox hitting has improved without Devers.  

Meanwhile the Sox are using a lot of less seasoned, inexpensive players:  Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, Anthony, Narvaez, Gonzalez, Mayer.  The first five have all been excellent.  Campbell still might be.  Ditto Mayer.  Plus I really like that Bregman, Crochet, and Chapman are all earning their big salaries.  

I think, like you, I would prefer that the Sox spend freely, but right now I kind of like the product they are putting on the field.   Did you know they are 5 games back of the Jays, who have the best W-L record in MLB?  

 

the fact is in relation to the rest of MLB Henry has cut payroll substantially since he fired DD. He has allowed whatever patsy he has hired since to spend just enough to keep the team around .500 for the 4-5 yrs simply to avoid a complete out roar from RSN. I think Breslow has done a pretty good job on the pitching development side as 3 of our top 5 prospects are now P and that doesn't even include this yr's 1st rd pick.  Whether the trade of Devers was right or not he pretty much gave him away for nothing more than salary relief. For example why isn't the SP we got in the deal making the start tonight?? He was in the SF rotation and yet he has been in AAA for around 6 weeks now when we have needed a 5th SP. Doesn't bode all that well in my view.

I have not even bothered to watch many Sox games the past 2 years out of disgust but given the additions both from the farm and Crochet and Bregman I was excited again about this year but the lack of real moves at the deadline has soured me again. Not sure we needed another LH reliever in Matz but maybe he reminds Breslow of himself. Dustin May MAY help a bit but he is far from a guarantee. But hey Henry let Breslow spend 5 million of Raffy's deal.

[Randy Red Sox]

59 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

The overreaction to the deadline is not surprising. Red Sox fans (and baseball fans in general) are a miserable bunch who thrive on complaining about things. Whether it's " he decimated the farm", " he overpaid" or " he didn't do anything", they will always find reasons to be unhappy. Breslow has previously made moves that turned the Sox from a last place team into a legitimate contender. Now, he is a bum who should be fired because he didn't trade for Merrill Kelly or Joe Ryan at the deadline. But he did pick up two pretty good pitchers who could help down the stretch, without giving up much in return. The outrage we are seeing is unwarranted, but all too familiar and predictable. And please spare me/us the stale cop out line, " I hope I'm wrong ".  That sounds so phony. All is not lost. Far from it.  This is a good ballclub that is gaining confidence by the day. 

I can't disagree with some of what you have wrote here but do you actually the Sox improved with their trades as much as the other teams we are competing with for WC spots ??

[Larry Cook]

I remain completely satisfied that bres-slow did the right thing at the trade deadline!!!  
 

I believe this offseason, we need to take a hard run at trading for a number 2 starter and  signing a quality free agent starter with the Devers money!!

 

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, Maxbialystock said:

 I think it says the Sox FO likes the players they have.  Heck, they dumped the greatest Sox hitter ever and got better!  Both Gonzalez and Toro have higher OPS's than Devers' .692.  So do 8 other Sox regulars.  

Crochet, Bello, and Giolito are the best top 3 in the rotation since 2018 and the team ERA is ranked 10th, the best since 2018.  Forget the total errors.  Individual DWAR's say this is the best Sox defense in a long time.  The lineup is 4th in MLB in runs scored and 5th in OPS.  The bullpen has a pretty good duo in Chapman and Whitlock, plus guys like Weissert (ERA 2.93), Wilson (ERA 2.65), and Murphy (ERA 2.70) who can contribute.  New lefty Matz, ERA 3.44, could also help.  

I would have loved for Breslow to get a frontline starter and believe he tried.  I think trying to get a better first baseman and/or backup catcher was unnecessary.  

Cora has even been able to solve the "too many outfielders" problem by moving Rafaela to 2b or Anthony to DH.  Speaking of Anthony, he is now leading off because his OBP is .402.  

 

To be honest, I would have loved to get a frontline starter, but think the FO almost certainly tried to get one.  

Yes, there were a lot of excuses made by Breslow in the media today about how “hard we tried but couldn’t match up”…..weep weep weee..p. I have no sympathy for an incompetent GM nor for a cheapskate owner who happens to be a multibillionaire. It’s their JOB to get the deals done and they failed miserably AGAIN. The team needed a couple of steaks to be able to make noise in October and they were given Cheetoes. Better to have been sellers and plan to be competitive in a couple of years. All the other teams in the playoff hunt improved significantly and Breslow played the fiddle.

Your mindless optimism is noted however, and dismissed.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 hour ago, Maxbialystock said:

 I think it says the Sox FO likes the players they have.  Heck, they dumped the greatest Sox hitter ever and got better! 

Boston didn't dump Ted Williams, he enlisted in the Navy and became a figher pilot during World War II.

And the Sox only got better when he returned: 93 wins in 1942, 68-71-77 in the three years he missed... and 104 and a pennant when came back!

[dgalehouse]

1 hour ago, Randy Red Sox said:

I can't disagree with some of what you have wrote here but do you actually the Sox improved with their trades as much as the other teams we are competing with for WC spots ??

The competition added more talent for sure. No doubt about that. The Sox will need the best efforts from the existing talent. I don't see any reason for despair. The team is playing with a lot of confidence right now. We'll see what happens from here on out. 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

 I think it says the Sox FO likes the players they have.  Heck, they dumped the greatest Sox hitter ever and got better!  Both Gonzalez and Toro have higher OPS's than Devers' .692.  So do 8 other Sox regulars.  

Crochet, Bello, and Giolito are the best top 3 in the rotation since 2018 and the team ERA is ranked 10th, the best since 2018.  Forget the total errors.  Individual DWAR's say this is the best Sox defense in a long time.  The lineup is 4th in MLB in runs scored and 5th in OPS.  The bullpen has a pretty good duo in Chapman and Whitlock, plus guys like Weissert (ERA 2.93), Wilson (ERA 2.65), and Murphy (ERA 2.70) who can contribute.  New lefty Matz, ERA 3.44, could also help.  

I would have loved for Breslow to get a frontline starter and believe he tried.  I think trying to get a better first baseman and/or backup catcher was unnecessary.  

Cora has even been able to solve the "too many outfielders" problem by moving Rafaela to 2b or Anthony to DH.  Speaking of Anthony, he is now leading off because his OBP is .402.  

 

To be honest, I would have loved to get a frontline starter, but think the FO almost certainly tried to get one.  

Devers is the greatest Sox hitter ever? MAX takes sarcasm to a whole new level.

[Maxbialystock]

3 hours ago, dgalehouse said:

The overreaction to the deadline is not surprising. Red Sox fans (and baseball fans in general) are a miserable bunch who thrive on complaining about things. Whether it's " he decimated the farm", " he overpaid" or " he didn't do anything", they will always find reasons to be unhappy. Breslow has previously made moves that turned the Sox from a last place team into a legitimate contender. Now, he is a bum who should be fired because he didn't trade for Merrill Kelly or Joe Ryan at the deadline. But he did pick up two pretty good pitchers who could help down the stretch, without giving up much in return. The outrage we are seeing is unwarranted, but all too familiar and predictable. And please spare me/us the stale cop out line, " I hope I'm wrong ".  That sounds so phony. All is not lost. Far from it.  This is a good ballclub that is gaining confidence by the day. 

I agree with you of course, but will defend the rights of others to gripe, moan, obsess, whatever about missed opportunities

That's what we're here for, right?  

[Maxbialystock]

15 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Devers is the greatest Sox hitter ever? MAX takes sarcasm to a whole new level.

I sure did.  What the commentators said was he is one of the best sluggers in MLB today.  That could well be true.  But what really irritated me was that practically every commentator said letting Devers go was a huge mistake.  After 6 weeks, it doesn't look that way.  Quite the opposite. 

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Boston didn't dump Ted Williams, he enlisted in the Navy and became a figher pilot during World War II.

And the Sox only got better when he returned: 93 wins in 1942, 68-71-77 in the three years he missed... and 104 and a pennant when came back!

I am a huge Ted Williams fan and like to point out that he was as good a pilot--on jets in the Korean War--as he was a baseball player.  When he enlisted in the USMC he did so because he was getting a lot of heat from other players.  He did not fly combat missions in WW II, but was reportedly an excellent instructor.   7 years later he did fly in combat over Korea.  He gave up roughly 5 years of his career to serve, and the World War II years were especially dear because 1941 was the year he batted .406.  

And no, I don't think Devers is anywhere near the hitter Williams was.  Williams was 41 in 1960, his final season.  His OPS was 1.096 and hit 29 dingers in 113 games.   Devers will never have a season that good.  

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

2 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Boston didn't dump Ted Williams, he enlisted in the Navy and became a figher pilot during World War II.

And the Sox only got better when he returned: 93 wins in 1942, 68-71-77 in the three years he missed... and 104 and a pennant when came back!

Williams was not a fighter pilot during WWII. He was a flight trainer. Williams was a fighter pilot during the Korean War and was John Glenn's wingman.

[vegasbob]

3 hours ago, Hitch said:

Interestingly I just saw this - 

 

McCaffrey and Rosenthal's report also revealed something critical: the specific reason the Red Sox's offers to Minnesota weren't enough to pry Ryan loose, as well as one name they were confirmed to be willing to give up.

"As the minutes ticked closer to Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox reached out to the Minnesota Twins about coveted starter Joe Ryan. But according to league sources briefed on discussions from the Twins’ side, talks fell apart when the Red Sox were unwilling to offer any of their big league outfielders, or an enticing enough package of their top-tier prospects," wrote McCaffrey.

"Jhostynxon Garcia, the Red Sox’s top outfield prospect, was in the mix to be in the deal. But despite Boston’s highly-regarded farm system, sources said that the rest of the haul offered was not substantial enough to land Ryan, owner of a 2.82 ERA and whose value is enhanced by being under team control through 2027."

So reading between the lines, it seems as though a package that included either of two outfielders, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu could have gotten the job done. And perhaps another path existed if prospects like shortstop Franklin Arias or left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle were included, though we can't say with certainty that they weren't.

I am convinced that Breslow would not move any current player out of the clubhouse to avoid repercussions from his own players.   However, he did not survey them to see what the reaction would have been if a pitcher of Ryan's resume was the get.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

6 minutes ago, vegasbob said:

I am convinced that Breslow would not move any current player out of the clubhouse to avoid repercussions from his own players.   However, he did not survey them to see what the reaction would have been if a pitcher of Ryan's resume was the get.

The Twins were in no hurry to trade Ryan. They put his name out there just to see if they would get blown away by an offer. I'm guessing that the Twins wanted both Anthony and Tolle to make the deal work.

[Duran Is The Man]

15 minutes ago, vegasbob said:

I am convinced that Breslow would not move any current player out of the clubhouse to avoid repercussions from his own players.   However, he did not survey them to see what the reaction would have been if a pitcher of Ryan's resume was the get.

imagine the reaction from the fans, if the Sox fall out of playoff contention.  Brez will get roasted.

[dgalehouse]

49 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

I agree with you of course, but will defend the rights of others to gripe, moan, obsess, whatever about missed opportunities

That's what we're here for, right?  

Why are we here ? That is the question. I don't know. 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

15 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

imagine the reaction from the fans, if the Sox fall out of playoff contention.  Brez will get roasted.

Is tarred and feathered still fashionable?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Regarding Breslow's last two TDL's, in movie terms it should be called Spineless Tap 1 and Spineless Tap 2.

[Duran Is The Man]

51 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Is tarred and feathered still fashionable?

works for me.

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, Duran Is The Man said:

imagine the reaction from the fans, if the Sox fall out of playoff contention.  Brez will get roasted.

That’s very likely to happen. Look for a major swoon this month. That’s not a bad thing. Since we won’t be playing ball in October we do need to improve our position in the next draft.

[Hugh2]

The package for Ryan was Tolle, Arias, Garcia+

honestly, if the Twins said no I don’t blame Breslow from walking away.  FWIW no one was able to trade for Ryan, as a matter of fact a lot of the high end starters I thought might be available didn’t go anywhere at the deadline.

i don’t want a GM/POBO who makes a move just to make a headline, if the price was really that high, so high a lot of other teams weren’t trading for elite starting pitching, then I can forgive.

but there were 1b/C who went at the deadline who would have been upgrades, and weren’t going to cost you Tolle.  Are they banking on Cambell coming back up soon?

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Yeah sure, let's just leave out Romy's numbers at 1B and Refsnyder's at DH.

Vs LHPs, Romy would have played at 2B or 3B (Bregman out) and Ref in RF, as before.

[moonslav59]

Down here in HOU, I'm hearing how Crane identifies who he wants and gets him 90% of the time. They mentioned missing out of Josh Hader, one year, but then signing him that winter.

You need a guy: you do what it takes to get him.

We need Ryan more than we need 4 OF'er (and Password knocking on the 4th OF'er door.)

[moonslav59]

42 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

The package for Ryan was Tolle, Arias, Garcia+

honestly, if the Twins said no I don’t blame Breslow from walking away.  FWIW no one was able to trade for Ryan, as a matter of fact a lot of the high end starters I thought might be available didn’t go anywhere at the deadline.

i don’t want a GM/POBO who makes a move just to make a headline, if the price was really that high, so high a lot of other teams weren’t trading for elite starting pitching, then I can forgive.

but there were 1b/C who went at the deadline who would have been upgrades, and weren’t going to cost you Tolle.  Are they banking on Cambell coming back up soon?

One package included a ML OF'er, and likely not Tolle. I'd probably have preferred that offer.

I wonder if Campbell was offered or asked for.

We heard "no even close," so what was that about?

Would Campbell, Garcia, Arias and Early have been enough?

[harmony]

55 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

One package included a ML OF'er, and likely not Tolle. I'd probably have preferred that offer.

I wonder if Campbell was offered or asked for.

We heard "no even close," so what was that about?

Would Campbell, Garcia, Arias and Early have been enough?

If the package of Franklin Arias, Jhostynxon Garcia and Payton Tolle was not enough, subbing Connelly Early for Tolle and adding Kristian Campbell would be unlikely to get the job done.

The frugal Minnesota Twins would likely shy away from the guaranteed $59 million owed Campbell.

[Maxbialystock]

9 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Devers OPS 834

Devers since trade OPS 692

Toro OPS 719

Toro since trade OPS 566

Masataka Yoshida OPS 625

Red Sox would be a better team with Devers than Toro and Masa. 

Meh.  I agree Devers is the better hitter, but I also think his absence has improved the teamwork in the clubhouse and on the field.

Tonight's game is a reminder that Devers was/is just one bat in a 9 player lineup.  The Sox won tonight against a tough Astros team because of superb pitching..  Criswell surprised the heck out of all of us, and then the bullpen was lights out for 4 innings--helped by a great throw from Story to nail the guy going home in the 10th.  

To me the real replacement for Devers is Anthony, who came up a week before Devers left--and we never missed Devers!!