Ranking Red Sox Trade Candidates If They Sell at MLB Trade Deadline

[Alex Mayes]

The American League is an absolute mess, and yet the Boston Red Sox find themselves on the outside looking in and even further behind in the AL East standings after being swept at home by the Blue Jays. They are 0-39 in games in which they trail by three and, once they return to Fenway Park, seem to forget how to play cohesive baseball on a daily basis. 

It feels like we’re quickly approaching the “pivot” that President and CEO of the Red Sox Sam Kennedy spoke about just last week. The negativity is growing louder and louder with each loss, and the players you’d expect to be the most outspoken about it are nowhere to be found when the cameras are on in the clubhouse. Craig Breslow seems to be keeping an eye on buying at the deadline, but that pathway feels like the worst possible decision given the direction this team is headed.

While there is time before any final decisions have to be made, the Red Sox look like clear sellers at this point and these names are the most likely to be involved.

Ranking Red Sox Trade Chips

We'll rank these players by group, starting with those who are certain to be gone and ending with those who should be super-glued to the locker room beneath Fenway.

Definitely Will Be Traded

CL Aroldis Chapman

Team Control: Through 2026 with 40 inning vesting option for 2027

2026 Stats: 21 G, 14 S, 23.5 K-BB%, 0.9 fWAR

Chapman has seen a career resurgence since signing with the Red Sox before the 2025 season, but his time in Boston is likely coming to an end sooner than later. He’s almost guaranteed to represent the Sox in the All-Star Game this year (if he is still on the team by then). Even though he was tagged with the loss in the series finale against the Blue Jays, he’s arguably the best closer in the American League. When he’s officially put on the trade block, he will be the best reliever available and contending teams will likely line up to acquire his 100+ mph fastball for a late season push. The last time Chapman was moved, from the Royals to the Rangers, he wasn’t nearly the player he has been over the last season and a half but he still netted LHP Cole Ragans in return. 

If the goal is to retool the upper minor leagues with players who can contribute next season, there’s no better trade chip than the future Hall of Famer himself. 

SP Sonny Gray

Team Control: Through 2026, Mutual Option for 2027

2026 Stats: 12 G, 3.53 FIP, 13.7 K-BB%, 1.1 fWAR

Gray has been an incredibly bright spot for the Red Sox for the majority of the season. He has started focusing on his “Dr. Spin” persona and throwing stuff with some ridiculous movement. It’s allowed him to generate a ton of swing and miss during his starts while inducing weak contact when the batter does manage to put the ball in play. In turn, he’s pitching deep into most games and is turning in quality start after quality start. The appeal of Gray is that he’s a dependable veteran that will come relatively cheap considering the Cardinals are paying half of his salary this season and, once the trade deadline gets here, the Red Sox will have paid more than half of the remaining salary left for this season. He'll be an affordable rental who will provide a spark in the middle of a contender's rotation.

Given his status as a starter, he should return a similar (if not better) package than Chapman.

Possibly Could Be Traded

 

OF Jarren Duran

Team Control: Through 2028

2026 Stats: 66 G, .293 wOBA, 79 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR

I’ve already gone in depth on why the Red Sox need to move on from Duran here, so I’m not going to go into a ton of depth with this piece, but it’s time to move on from Duran. Once Roman Anthony returns from the injured list, Duran will be squeezed out of his starting job in left field again. His offensive numbers have taken a nose dive this season, but there’s still glimpses of an every day hitter there. His speed is top tier and will be useful for a contending team down the stretch.

The ship has sailed on him returning multiple star prospects, but he'll still fetch a decent price given his remaining team control.

UTIL Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Through 2026

2026 Stats: 46 G, .310 wOBA, 90 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR

Kiner-Falefa feels like the type of player that this team needed if they were able to repeat last season’s success. He’s a journeyman veteran that plays solid defense and has, almost inexplicably, woken up at the plate and come through in some clutch moments. He has been incredibly vocal with the media over the last few weeks, and seems to almost be the only veteran presence on the defensive side of the ball who is willing to speak on a regular basis. That was a role Rob Refsnyder filled during his tenure with the Red Sox and Kiner-Falefa has stepped into those shoes well this year. He seems to almost be at his wit’s end though, and as the season slips further and further away, he is likely looking at less and less playing time. Moving him in a small trade to clear the remainder of his $6 million off the books is the move here, but his veteran presence may cause him to stick around for the rest of the season.

RP Justin Slaten

Team Control: Through 2029

2026 Stats: 15 G, 5.57 FIP, 19.7 KK-B%, -0.2 fWAR

Slaten has been an interesting case study since he arrived as a trade via the Rule 5 draft in 2023. He has an electric fastball and a curveball that, when it’s on, ranks as one of the top pitches for all relievers. The biggest knock against him has been his health. He has landed on the injured list for stints during every season he’s been with the Red Sox and has typically struggled to return to form once he is activated to the big-league club. He has the potential to be the next closer for the Red Sox but that role is likely occupied by someone else we’ll get to here later. Still, his raw stuff would surely interest some contender in need of high-leverage help.

Thanks to his status as a pre-arb player, Slaten should net the Sox something useful, though that cheap team control also makes him an attractive reliever to keep around.

1B Willson Contreras

Team Control: Through 2027, Club Option for 2028

2026 Stats: 69 G, .408 wOBA, 157 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR

Contreras has been the best hitter on the Red Sox this season, without a doubt. Imagining this season without his presence in the lineup is even more depressing than the current reality. Should Contreras hit the trade block, he would be the best right-handed hitter available on the market and should bring a king’s ransom in return. That being said, the clubhouse would suffer if he was dealt and it would significantly harm the team's chances of bouncing back next year. Contreras is on a fairly friendly deal for the 2027 season with a team option for the 2028 season. He’s finally hitting in a ballpark that suits his swing and he’s been a leader for this club through a down season.

While it’s possible he’s traded, I consider it unlikely unless the team is blown away by the offer.

C Connor Wong

Team Control: Through 2028

2026 Stats: 28 G, .340 wOBA, 111 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR

There have already been rumblings that the team is shopping backup catcher Connor Wong, so he had to show up somewhere on this list. He’s played far better than he did during his injury-shortened 2025 season, but he’s failed to live up to the starting catcher potential so many predicted for him after he took the reins of the position after Christian Vazquez was traded in 2022. He’s a serviceable backup catcher at this point in his career, but the fact the team is willing to listen to offers on him indicates that they prefer Mickey Gasper in the backup role, or starter role if recent trends are any indication. 

Wong won’t net much, but he could be a throw-in piece as part of a larger package returning several prospects.

Unlikely To Be Traded

OF Wilyer Abreu

Team Control: Through 2029

2026 Stats: 70 G, .337 wOBA, 109 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR

Abreu is a two-time Gold Glove winner in right field who has finally been moved out of the platoon role and thrived for it. He’s arguably the second-best hitter on the team and should be considered a foundational piece of the organization moving forward. It would be shocking to see the team move off of Abreu, but he'd instantly become the team's most valuable trade chip if they put up him for auction.

RP Garrett Whitlock

Team Control: Through 2026, Team Options for 2027 and 2028

2026 Stats: 22 G, 2.64 FIP, 23.9 K-BB%, 0.6 fWAR

Whitlock is the shining example of everything that can go right with a Rule 5 draft selection. While there is likely going to be a ton of interest in him, he’s far too valuable to the organization as they look to retool to compete in 2027 and beyond. He is likely the closer-in-waiting once the team moves on from Chapman, and he’s proven capable of handling that pressure. Teams in contention would likely pay a high price for Whitlock, and an overpay shouldn’t be ignored, but the best bet is to hang onto him for the remainder of his contract.

SS Trevor Story

Team Control: Through 2027, Club Option for 2028

2026 Stats: 41 G, .243 wOBA, 45 wRC+, -0.5 fWAR

While moving on from Story before the end of his contract makes a ton of sense, he’s making far too much money ($23.33MM AAV) and has spent too much time on the injured list during his stint in Boston for any team to even consider bringing him in mid-season. He has likely lost his starting shortstop role to Marcelo Mayer, so there could be movement on him whenever the offseason gets underway in a pre-lockout world, or even after the lockout comes to an end in 2027, but his deal is almost certainly unmovable at this current juncture.

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[notin]

Tyron Guerrero?

Greg Weissert? Please?

[Alex Mayes]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Tyron Guerrero?

Greg Weissert? Please?

I considered both for the list but opted for the names above. I think they both are in the “possibly could be traded” bucket with Guerrero closer to the top of it. His value likely lies somewhere between what the Sox gave up for Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia a couple of seasons ago. 
 

I’ve been advocating for the team to option Weissert instead of trade him because if he gets right then he is a huge piece moving forward. I’d rather see him try to get right here than deal him somewhere else where he will somehow turn into Mason Miller 2.0 with our luck. 

[mvp 78]

10 minutes ago, Alex Mayes said:

I considered both for the list but opted for the names above. I think they both are in the “possibly could be traded” bucket with Guerrero closer to the top of it. His value likely lies somewhere between what the Sox gave up for Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia a couple of seasons ago. 
 

I’ve been advocating for the team to option Weissert instead of trade him because if he gets right then he is a huge piece moving forward. I’d rather see him try to get right here than deal him somewhere else where he will somehow turn into Mason Miller 2.0 with our luck. 

If the team is dumping a bunch of veterans, giving tryouts to guys with upcoming 40 man issues (what we gave up for Garcia) seems like a fine idea for me. Need warm bodies to fill out a roster anyway. 

[Alex Mayes]

25 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

If the team is dumping a bunch of veterans, giving tryouts to guys with upcoming 40 man issues (what we gave up for Garcia) seems like a fine idea for me. Need warm bodies to fill out a roster anyway. 

I like that idea quite a bit.