Early Trade deadline deals the selling Sox should make

[moonslav59]

49 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Who knows? Maybe. Can he even pull off a trade though? 

It's hard to know if Breslow learned a lesson from 2025. He's so smug & righteous, he likely doesn't even know he blundered the deadline.

If we turn out to be buyers, it could be interesting to see how far he's willing to go.

If we are sellers, it's easier to figure out who goes, and who stays. It would just be about who we get vs who we might have gotten.

[Sthpaw777]

20 hours ago, notin said:

I never heard anything like that, which is meaningless.  Have any links?

The writers sighted sources. Saying other GMs saying he was asking for top prospects. I’d have o see if there’s a link somewhere that’s actually has a GMs name. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

It's hard to know if Breslow learned a lesson from 2025. He's so smug & righteous, he likely doesn't even know he blundered the deadline.

If we turn out to be buyers, it could be interesting to see how far he's willing to go.

If we are sellers, it's easier to figure out who goes, and who stays. It would just be about who we get vs who we might have gotten.

Is this really true though? I have my complaints about Breslow. I think he's a terrible communicator. I think he's gotten absolutely washed in some trades. He comes off as aloof to me, not smug & righteous.

[moonslav59]

39 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Is this really true though? I have my complaints about Breslow. I think he's a terrible communicator. I think he's gotten absolutely washed in some trades. He comes off as aloof to me, not smug & righteous.

Without knowing Brez personally, it's hard to distinguish between "aloof" and "smug."

He has had some bad trade results, but I liked the Sale trade, at the time and the Priester trade may still end up a plus.

Devers was a dump trade.

Harrison may burn us, but the better he does, the better the Devers trade looks.

He's made some good trades, too: Crochet, O'Neill, Narvaez, Gray, Contreras...

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Without knowing Brez personally, it's hard to distinguish between "aloof" and "smug."

He has had some bad trade results, but I liked the Sale trade, at the time and the Priester trade may still end up a plus.

Devers was a dump trade.

Harrison may burn us, but the better he does, the better the Devers trade looks.

He's made some good trades, too: Crochet, O'Neill, Narvaez, Gray, Contreras...

Harrison playing well FOR THE BREWERS doesn't make the Devers trade better. 

[Old Red]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Harrison playing well FOR THE BREWERS doesn't make the Devers trade better. 

Yea I don’t get that one.🤔

[Old Red]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

It's hard to know if Breslow learned a lesson from 2025. He's so smug & righteous, he likely doesn't even know he blundered the deadline.

If we turn out to be buyers, it could be interesting to see how far he's willing to go.

If we are sellers, it's easier to figure out who goes, and who stays. It would just be about who we get vs who we might have gotten.

Trade deadlines for the Red Sox have been just a little bump in the road for quite some time now without the fork in the road. I don’t expect much to happen either way.

[notin]

1 hour ago, Sthpaw777 said:

The writers sighted sources. Saying other GMs saying he was asking for top prospects. I’d have o see if there’s a link somewhere that’s actually has a GMs name. 

That’s not necessarily a ridiculous ask for an All Star outfielder that had been worth 11 fWAR over the previous two seasons.  In fact, it might be pretty light depending on the prospects…

[notin]

4 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Is this really true though? I have my complaints about Breslow. I think he's a terrible communicator. I think he's gotten absolutely washed in some trades. He comes off as aloof to me, not smug & righteous.

Sometimes getting washed in trades isn’t the fault of the CBO.  Every scout in most orgs at least liked Vaughn Grissom.  Ditto Caleb Durbin, who wasn’t the ROY Runner Up based on his lack of a neck.  Sometimes trades just don’t work out.  
 

I don’t like stupid trades that never should have been made.  I mean, if Dustin May had anything useful to bring to the mound, would the Dodgers have been willing to trade him?

[moonslav59]

34 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Harrison playing well FOR THE BREWERS doesn't make the Devers trade better. 

To you maybe.

He was a nice return for a salary dump.

The fact that Brez later traded im does not change that.

[moonslav59]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

 I mean, if Dustin May had anything useful to bring to the mound, would the Dodgers have been willing to trade him?

The same thing could be said about every player ever traded.

It was a shot in the dark trade- the type many teams try at the deadline.

[Old Red]

6 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

To you maybe.

He was a nice return for a salary dump.

The fact that Brez later traded im does not change that.

It was more than a salary dump. It was more like Brez taking a dump.

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, notin said:

Sometimes hetting washed in trades isn’t the fault of the CBO.  Every scout in most orgs at least liked Vaughn Grissom.  Ditto Caleb Durbin, who wasn’t the ROY Runner Up based on his lack of a neck.  Sometimes trades just don’t work out.  
 

I don’t like stupid trades that never should have been made.  I mean, if Dustin May had anything useful to bring to the mound, would the Dodgers have been willing to trade him?

Sox are very light in the scouting department these days. They are heavily reliant on internal data models for their acquisitions. That change points directly to Craig Breslow. 

While the Sox are cutting their staffing, the Dodgers, Yankees and Rays are increasing their scouting. Seems to be working out for them. 

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/09/22/red-sox-re-examine-scouting-roles-amid-staff-cuts-pay-changes/

There were other stories out there suggesting that the Sox have leaned so far into data and are straight up ignoring scouting. That they are so impossible to deal with that agents steer players elsewhere and other orgs don't like picking up the phone for them. I'm looking for the specific article that ranked all the MLB orgs with quotes, but Google stinks now. 😾

[mvp 78]

15 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

The same thing could be said about every player ever traded.

It was a shot in the dark trade- the type many teams try at the deadline.

A top prospect for a starting pitcher that was just sent to the bullpen? That's a normal deadline trade?

[moonslav59]

7 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

A top prospect for a starting pitcher that was just sent to the bullpen? That's a normal deadline trade?

Yes, pretty much.

Tibbs was our 7th ranked prospect behind Garcia.

I never said it was a good trade, but these kind of deals are made a lot.

GMs take flyers on pitchers who once were good, who look like change of scenery might help, who might help a little now while the prospect is years away and maybe not a sure bet, anyway.

You doubt these moves are made often by many contending teams?

[Sthpaw777]

46 minutes ago, notin said:

That’s not necessarily a ridiculous ask for an All Star outfielder that had been worth 11 fWAR over the previous two seasons.  In fact, it might be pretty light depending on the prospects…

I think they knew he wasn’t that guy every year. Good player, but not that perennial Allstar. Maybe the chirping back at fans and his choice of words for them didn’t help either bringing up maturity concerns. I think more needed to be added with him and Breslow overvalued him. After that AS year was the year to get something for him.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Without knowing Brez personally, it's hard to distinguish between "aloof" and "smug."

Without ever having been in the same room with Breslow, I feel pretty comfortable saying I know nothing about him.

[JoeBrady]

36 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

A top prospect for a starting pitcher that was just sent to the bullpen? That's a normal deadline trade?

Tibbs is not a top prospect.

[JoeBrady]

12 minutes ago, Sthpaw777 said:

I think they knew he wasn’t that guy every year. ... After that AS year was the year to get something for him.

They were never going to get a return commensurate with his 9.0 bWAR.  Even his 4.7 2025 bWAR would be acceptable to most.  IMHO, the biggest trade issue was whether teams perceived him as a LF or a CF.  You seldom get a haul for a LF.  The drop from 23 DRS in 2024 to 9 in 2025 is significant.

But no one was trading for his 2024 stats.

[mvp 78]

38 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yes, pretty much.

Tibbs was our 7th ranked prospect behind Garcia.

I never said it was a good trade, but these kind of deals are made a lot.

GMs take flyers on pitchers who once were good, who look like change of scenery might help, who might help a little now while the prospect is years away and maybe not a sure bet, anyway.

You doubt these moves are made often by many contending teams?

You think a starting pitcher on an expiring deal that is pitching so badly that he's being sent to the pen is worth a top 10 prospect? I don't remember a lot of trades like that! 

[mvp 78]

13 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Tibbs is not a top prospect.

He was ranked higher than Early! Higher than Valera and Clarke! All the guys around him were top 100 guys or soon to be! 

 

[notin]

1 hour ago, Sthpaw777 said:

I think they knew he wasn’t that guy every year. Good player, but not that perennial Allstar. Maybe the chirping back at fans and his choice of words for them didn’t help either bringing up maturity concerns. I think more needed to be added with him and Breslow overvalued him. After that AS year was the year to get something for him.

Hindsight makes every decision easier.  
 

Luis Robert has been far worse than Duran the last couple seasons.  Taylor Ward had his career best season by a good amount.  Both were traded for pretty good returns, including the younger Acuna and Grayson Rodriguez respectively.  Duran should have easily been able to top both of those returns…

[moonslav59]

39 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

You think a starting pitcher on an expiring deal that is pitching so badly that he's being sent to the pen is worth a top 10 prospect? I don't remember a lot of trades like that! 

Did you even read where I said "I never said it was a good trade?"

Bad trades are made every deadline. This one was not unique. GMs who need pitching settle on "wings and prayers."

Nobody was excited abut Matz, either, but you don't mention that trade- for obvious reasons.

I did not like the May trade at the time, but there was a chance he could have turned his season around. Stating that he got sent to the pen is unrelated to the why the trade was made at the time. Apparently, the Ryan deal fell through, at the last minute, and Brez was left in the cold, got desperate and flubbed up.

Losing Tibbs is near meaningless, as of now.

[moonslav59]

41 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He was ranked higher than Early! Higher than Valera and Clarke! All the guys around him were top 100 guys or soon to be! 

 

Too funny.

[moonslav59]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

Hindsight makes every decision easier.  
 

Luis Robert has been far worse than Duran the last couple seasons.  Taylor Ward had his career best season by a good amount.  Both were traded for pretty good returns, including the younger Acuna and Grayson Rodriguez respectively.  Duran should have easily been able to top both of those returns…

I think Duran's inconsistency and history of bad PR events hurt his value.

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

Did you even read where I said "I never said it was a good trade?"

Bad trades are made every deadline. This one was not unique. GMs who need pitching settle on "wings and prayers."

Nobody was excited abut Matz, either, but you don't mention that trade- for obvious reasons.

I did not like the May trade at the time, but there was a chance he could have turned his season around. Stating that he got sent to the pen is unrelated to the why the trade was made at the time. Apparently, the Ryan deal fell through, at the last minute, and Brez was left in the cold, got desperate and flubbed up.

Losing Tibbs is near meaningless, as of now.

That Matz trade was a good trade. He also wasn't traded for a top 10 prospect. 

I'm just saying the Dustin May trade wasn't a typical deadline deal, while you contend that it was.

[mvp 78]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I think Duran's inconsistency and history of bad PR events hurt his value.

🤫

[notin]

46 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

You think a starting pitcher on an expiring deal that is pitching so badly that he's being sent to the pen is worth a top 10 prospect? I don't remember a lot of trades like that! 

The Rays traded former BA Top 100 prospect Curtis Mead for Adrian Houser on the same day..

[notin]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

That Matz trade was a good trade. He also wasn't traded for a top 10 prospect. 

I'm just saying the Dustin May trade wasn't a typical deadline deal, while you contend that it was.

It wasn’t. It was a stupid deal.  If May was still effective, the Dodgers keep him.  Especially since there is no more August waiver deadline if they find a sudden need for pitching.

[notin]

5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I think Duran's inconsistency and history of bad PR events hurt his value.

What inconsistency?  Bear in mind his bad 2026 was not known yet…