Alex Mayes

The Boston Red Sox have acquired catcher Adley Rutschman from the AL East division rival Baltimore Orioles. In a blockbuster move that indicates that Craig Breslow and Fenway Sports Group are serious about winning this season. It’s difficult to trade for a catcher in the middle of the season and have them mesh with your pitching staff, but out of all the available catchers on the market, Rutschman is far more familiar with the Red Sox’s rotation and bullpen than any other option the team could have brought in. While there’s a lot to love about Rutschman’s profile, there are a few questions as well. Let’s dive into it. The Good About Rutschman As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Adley Rutschman is the most all-around catcher available on the trade market. I assumed that the price to bring him to Boston would be more than Breslow wanted to pay, but I’m glad to say I was wrong. In that piece, I explored what Red Sox fans would love about Rutschman, and all of that information still rings true. Offensively, he’s slashing .251/.331/.433 with a .333 wOBA, 115 wRC+, and a 2.3 fWAR. He has eight home runs and 47 RBIs during his injury-shortened 2026 season. He’s a switch hitter that features power from both sides of the plate, but he does tap into it a bit more from the left-handed side, with five home runs and a .462% slug from the left versus three home runs and a .385% slug from the right. His home spray chart doesn’t scream immediate success at Fenway Park, but his offensive profile offers a lot to be excited about. While it’s unlikely Rutschman will live up to the hype he carried when he was breaking into the league, he’s still an incredible talent and has put up numbers at Fenway during his career. He’s slashed .275/.344/.400 and a .326 wOBA when the O’s came to town. If we combine that with his Savant page, we see a hitter who, when healthy, is going to absolutely rake from both sides of the plate. He has an incredible strikeout percentage, draws a ton of walks, and gets on base at a clip that is rare for most catchers. In addition to that, his Pull AIR% is top ten in the league at 19.3%, and that should only go up as he gets more comfortable hitting at Fenway Park. Once he’s in the lineup, he’s going to provide a positive spark whenever he hits. What likely made Breslow incredibly comfortable with trading for Rutschman, though, is his ability behind the dish. He grades out at the top of the league in almost every catching category, except pop time. He’s the best in the league at catching runners when they attempt to steal bases, his framing is top-notch, and his blocking ability is underrated. It’s going to take him a bit of time to get comfortable with the pitching staff, but he’s a top-of-the-league catcher, so he’s going to adapt to a new pitching staff very quickly. The Not-So-Bad But Concerning About Rutschman Adley has an injury history that should give people a bit of a pause for concern. Just this season, he’s been on the injured list with a hamstring injury, a concussion, and he’s currently about to start a rehab assignment for an injury to his left wrist. Historically, he has had a back injury in 2024, a head injury in 2025, two oblique injuries in 2025, an abdomen injury in 2025, and an ankle injury in 2025. He doesn’t have the ‘injury prone’ label, but there is a reason why the medical review was rumored to be the thing that was holding up the deal for a couple of hours. He’s likely a week or two out from his Red Sox debut, but that also worked out pretty well last time the team acquired an injured, middle of the order type bat in 2021 in Kyle Schwarber. That being said, there’s not much to dislike about this move. So that begs the question, why would the Red Sox feel the need to pay such a high premium to acquire him? It’s a fairly simple explanation: elite, franchise cornerstone catchers don’t grow on trees. Rutschman is a potentially franchise-altering addition, playing for an organization that didn't seem to fully buy into his talent and abilities. Putting him in Boston, a team that is on the hottest streak in the league, and letting him eat at Fenway is going to be a huge boon to his numbers as he settles in. The addition of Adley Rutschman proves that this team is in win-now mode and wants to compete for a World Series title this season. It’s fair to wonder if the team hadn’t swept the Dodgers, if they would have made this move, but we should all be glad they did. Now, the only order of business left is for them to start talking extensions with their newly acquired catcher. View full article

We are going live in just a few minutes over on our YouTube channel. Come hang out and listen to us try and navigate what just happened! https://www.youtube.com/@TalkSox/streams

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 6-1 Runs Scored Last Week: 36 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 22 Standings 3rd in AL East 5.5 GB First Place 2nd in AL Wild Card 3 GB First Place Transactions 07/27/26: Boston Red Sox optioned SS Tsung-Che Cheng to Worcester Red Sox. 07/27/26: Boston Red Sox activated 3B Curtis Mead. 07/29/26: Boston Red Sox recalled 3B Nick Sogard from Worcester Red Sox. 07/29/26: Boston Red Sox placed 3B Curtis Mead on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 28, 2026. Left wrist fracture. 08/01/26: Boston Red Sox traded LHP Jojo Ingrassia to Detroit Tigers. Scores Game 105: BOS 4, SAC 2 Game 106: BOS 3, SAC 4 Game 107: BOS 4, SAC 2 Game 108: BOS 5, SAC 4 Game 109: BOS 9, LAD 4 Game 110: BOS 3, LAD 2 Game 111: BOS 8, LAD 4 Series Breakdown/Highlights A’s Series: It’s safe to say this series could also be called the ‘Red Sox Couldn’t See Until the Sixth Inning’ series. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team go from completely cold through the first half of each game of a four-game series to catching fire to close them out like this. In game one, Payton Tolle continued his post-All Star-Break run of good but not great starts. He tossed 5.1 innings, giving up three earned runs while walking one and striking out seven. His start to the season was so electric that it’s maybe easy to get disappointed in these types of outings for him, but he’s blowing past his career high in innings and navigating that while helping lead the team to, hopefully, a playoff appearance come October. This version of Tolle isn’t what we saw earlier but it’s more than serviceable and gives us hope that he can take the next step to becoming the ace he seems primed to be. Behind Tolle, Justin Slaten, Jovani Moran, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman finished out the game. On the offensive side, Ceddanne Rafaela provided all of the firepower with a ‘Sacramento Grand Slam’ that just barely cleared the wall in left field. He was so sure it was a fly out, slamming his bat in frustration before he was able to celebrate as he rounded first base. In game two, Jake Bennett followed Tolle’s lead by having a good, but not great, start in Sac-Town. He tossed 6.1 innings of three-run baseball while walking two and striking out four. Behind him, Ryan Watson and Moran worked to keep the Sox in it but Watson allowed another earned run so the rally in the ninth inning would come up short. To further echo the Tolle comp, there’s little reason to worry as Bennett figures out the life of a major-league starter. On offense, Connor Wong contributed two RBIs on one home run and Wilyer Abreu drove a run in as well. Game three saw the Sox get back to their winning ways behind Patrick Sandoval on the mound. He tossed five innings of two-run, seven-strikeout baseball. Chad Tracy seemed to pull all the right levers in the bullpen for this one with Tyron Guerrero, Slaten, Whitlock, Chapman, and Greg Weissert all coming in in relief. Newcomer Jahmai Jones contributed one RBI on a home run and Nick Sogard added another as well. In extras, Andruw Monasterio clobbered a two-run home run that put the Sox in front for good. Game four was more of the same. Sonny Gray started off the game very shaky, but settled in through seven innings. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits while striking out five. Weissert and Chapman came in and worked clean to close out the game, even if Chapman did get lucky on a Lawrence Butler double (that looked like a home run and should have been a triple if Butler was legging it out of the box). On the offensive side, this was the game that people kept talking about but mainly because of an interaction between Jarren Duran, Willson Contreras, and third base coach Chad Epperson that the team has mostly swept under the rug. Rafaela and Monasterio both provided RBIs but the big swings of the game belonged to Abreu and Contreras on back-to-back home runs that put the Red Sox in the lead for good. Dodgers Series: The Red Sox were hoping to ride the wave of wins from Sacramento but knew they were in for a tall task as they prepared for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the best team in baseball. In game one, the Dodgers decided to run with a bullpen game while the Red Sox had southpaw Ranger Suarez on the bump. Suarez operated on a pitch count like he has in every start since coming off the injured list last month. He tossed 4.2 innings of three-run, two-strikeout baseball before being replaced by Moran, who didn’t look stellar. Bullpen superstar Brayan Bello entered into the game after that and shined, again. He tossed four scoreless innings en route to the win. What his performance out of the bullpen did, more than anything else, was save a taxed bullpen a night of work. On offense, Rafaela continued his hot streak with a home run and two RBIs. Also driving in runs were Masataka Yoshida, Carlos Narvaez, Duran, and Monasterio. Game two was penciled in to be must-see TV with Tolle on the bump for the Sox and superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto standing opposite him. Tolle looked like the bright LA spotlight didn’t impact him at all as he threw six innings and allowed just two runs against a lineup that was ready to redeem themselves from the night before. Slaten, Guerrero, and Chapman all shut the door for the Sox win to take the series. On the offensive side of the baseball, Rafaela was the story once again. He took Yamamoto deep twice, and almost three times, off two splitters. Going into the game, Yamamoto had given up only one home run on his splitter all season and Rafaela got him for two in back-to-back at-bats. The other run came after a Monasterio double, a Duran bunt that was perfectly placed, and a Connor Wong double play that plated Monasterio for the final run. Game three saw Bennett get the ball for the Sox on Sunday Night Baseball. While the defense let him down early, he settled in nicely. He went 5.2 innings and gave up three earned runs. Like Tolle, he didn’t seem to be too bothered by the pressure of pitching against the best team in baseball on a national stage. Slaten worked his way out of an inherited jam to close out the sixth inning cleanly. Guerrero allowed a run in his one inning of work but Moran, Weissert, and Whitlock all worked clean to close the game and secure the sweep. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Rafaela homered. Along with that, Abreu, Duran, and Yoshida all sent the ball over the wall as well. On top of that, Duran laid down another excellent sacrifice bunt to move Durbin and Monasterio up a base each, which allowed Durbin to score on a wild pitch while Anthony Seigler was pinch hitting. The Red Sox came into L.A. looking to keep rolling and did so in incredible fashion. If this team can add a legitimate bat at the deadline, the league will be put on notice. Website Highlights Three Veteran Starters Red Sox Should Target to Fill Innings Gap at Trade Deadline by Nick John Sending Out an SOS to Craig Breslow to Fulfill Red Sox’s Newest Trade Deadline Need by Ryan Salvaggio How is it Possible that Red Sox’s Medical Staff Can’t Accurately Diagnose Its Own Players? by Maddie Landis CJ Abrams Gives Red Sox Every Reason to Go Back to Nationals Trade Well by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead 08/03/26: Off Day, Trade Deadline 6 PM EDT 08/04/26: White Sox @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT 08/05/26: White Sox @ Red Sox 7:10 PM EDT 08/06/26: White Sox @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT 08/07/26: A’s @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT 08/08/26: A’s @ Red Sox: 4:10 PM EDT 08/09/26: A’s @ Red Sox: 1:35 PM EDT View full article

We'll be live on our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/@talksox from around 6:30 pm EST until we run out of things to talk about, haha. If you can't make that, we typically make a post in the forums portion of the site asking for listener questions that we answer during our usual recording sessions every Sunday or Monday night. Always feel free to submit questions and comments there and we'll talk through them on each episode. Happy early birthday!

Hello for this week! In case you didn't catch it on the most recent episode of the podcast @Maddie Landis and I are going to do a livestream on Monday, 8/3 instead of a recorded podcast. It will be focused on the trade deadline moves/non-moves so instead of questions on here, jump into the comments during the livestream and we'll answer them while we're live! We'll go live around 6:30 pm EST on Monday, 8/3. The feed will be live on our YouTube channel so we hope to see you there!

Also forgot to say, welcome to Talk Sox! I'm looking forward to chatting with you through the comments on articles! If you're a podcast listener, I co-host the Talk Sox Podcast and we'd love for you to get involved with our livestream next Monday after the trade deadline!

Absolutely. Any fan who stoops to that level should be banned from all MLB stadiums for life. I’m probably the one who has been most vocal about my desire to move Duran on here for the better part of two years, but it’s solely because I thought they should sell high before the inevitable downward turn happened. Now that his value is in the toilet, he’s likely not going anywhere. It’s going to take a lot for him to even be a league average player and I just don’t think Boston is where he can do it.

Most fans have nothing but kind things to say about his strength in advocating for mental health and him being so open about his struggles, myself included. He’s saved countless lives and should be applauded for that. But holding him accountable and being critical of his on-field performance is fair game for anyone.

How is holding him accountable for his garbage season myopic?

The Boston Red Sox have already made a blockbuster deal in advance of the trade deadline, acquiring Curtis Mead late on Saturday, July 25. Mead addresses the right-handed pop that the Red Sox have been looking for since the offseason, but there is still room on the roster to add even more power at the plate as the team looks to make a push for the AL East title through the end of the season. Which brings us to yet another Washington Nationals infielder: All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams. According to Section 10’s Jared Carrabis, just because the Red Sox have already acquired Mead it doesn’t mean that the team wouldn’t still pursue Abrams in a second deal with the Nationals. On the surface, this seems almost counterintuitive. Why wouldn’t the team just make one large deal for both players instead of doing two smaller transactions? That’s a question that only Craig Breslow and Paul Toboni could answer, but if there is still a path to land the type of talent that Abrams brings, then Breslow needs to do everything he can to get it done. Offensively, Abrams slots in as another left-handed hitter in a lineup that features quite a few lefties already, but his offensive firepower makes up for the redundancy. He’s slashing .295/.368/.570 with a .397 wOBA, 152 wRC+, and 3.9 fWAR. He’s slugged 27 home runs so far to go along with 19 stolen bases. There's really nothing you can do at the plate that the 25-year-old isn't doing well. Abrams isn’t an opposite-field type hitter, and for a left-handed slugger that could potentially be bad news at Fenway Park where deep right field is essentially a second center field. But this isn't a real concern with this particular player; overlay his home spray chart over Fenway, and he doesn’t lose a single home run blast to right field. He might lose one to center, but he ends up gaining four in left field, and possibly one additional one in right thanks to the Pesky Pole. Adding that kind of offense to this team would instantly catapult them into pennant contention in a weak American League. Before we drink too much of his Kool-Aid, though, there are two major roadblocks we have to acknowledge. First, he’s as close to a defensive liability as you can get. Abrams currently ranks in the first percentile in Outs Above Average with a mystifying -12. For reference, Marcelo Mayer posted a flat 0 OAA at short and Trevor Story was a -3 OAA before his injury. We’ve lambasted the latter's defensive woes fairly regularly, so inserting someone who is quadruply worse at short than Story may be a tough sell. There's nowhere else on the roster to really slot him at the moment (unless second base is open in the wake of Mead's wrist injury), and moving Abrams off short would open up a gaping hole up the middle. That, specifically, brings us to the second downside. Any deal that brings Abrams to Boston almost certainly involves top prospect, and likely future shortstop, Franklin Arias headed to Washington. With enough reps, it’s entirely likely that Mayer could take over short full time in the absence of Arias, but his offensive approach is going to need a lot of work once he’s healthy. It’s unlikely that Abrams would move positions this year, so Mayer would have the runway to get back into big-league shape, but the lockout is going to make things a bit more difficult for everyone next offseason. Both Mikey Romero and Kristian Campbell are sitting in Worcester and could be in the conversation next year, but neither is an ideal option either. For an Abrams trade to work, there has to be a plan for when he no longer can play shortstop as soon as 2027 (most scouts see his future at first base or a corner outfield spot, which are also logjammed at the moment). Abrams offers tantalizing offensive potential as a member of the Boston Red Sox. He’s young, under control through 2028, and would likely be a candidate for an extension fairly quickly after the new CBA is agreed upon to begin the 2027 season. There are major question marks surrounding his defensive abilities and the price required to get him from Washington to Boston, but this is the kind of hitter you double-dip for. View full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 4-2 Runs Scored Last Week: 25 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 24 Standings 3rd in AL East 6.5 GB First Place 2nd in AL Wild Card Transactions 07/21/26: Boston Red Sox recalled RHP Zack Kelly from Worcester Red Sox. 07/21/26: Boston Red Sox placed RHP Zack Kelly on the 60-day injured list. Right elbow inflammation. 07/22/26: Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Alec Gamboa from Worcester Red Sox. 07/23/26: Boston Red Sox optioned LHP Eduardo Rivera to Worcester Red Sox. 07/26/26: Boston Red Sox traded LHP Connelly Early to Washington Nationals for 3B Curtis Mead. 07/26/26: Boston Red Sox optioned LHP Alec Gamboa to Worcester Red Sox. 07/26/26: Boston Red Sox traded LHP Connelly Early to Washington Nationals for 3B Curtis Mead. 07/26/26: Boston Red Sox activated LHP Ranger Suarez from the 15-day injured list. Scores Game 99: BOS 6, BAL 5 Game 100: BOS 6, BAL 3 Game 101: BOS 1, BAL 5 Game 102: BOS 6, TOR 5 Game 103: BOS 0, TOR 6 Game 104: BOS 6, TOR 1 Series Breakdown/Highlights Orioles Series: The Red Sox looked to keep rolling at home, and see if they could break their single-season win streak record against the division rival O’s to open the week. Things started off well in game one, with Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela all contributing RBIs in the win. Durbin’s came on some eighth inning heroics after the O’s tied the game in the 7th inning. On the pitching side, Payton Tolle was fine for the most part, but he fell apart in the sixth inning. He tossed 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs, walked one, and struck out nine. Tyron Guerrero threw 1.1 innings, allowing one earned run, and struck out three. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman both worked scoreless innings to close out the game. Game two was rescheduled for a Wednesday doubleheader. Duran was the offensive star of the game with his three RBIs. Rafaela contributed one RBI on a solo home run while Caleb Durbin drove in two. Rookie Jake Bennett tossed 5.2 innings of three-run baseball, walking none and striking out four. He wasn’t his typical dominant self, but he had more than enough to put the team in a position to win the game. Out of the bullpen Justin Slaten, Whitlock, and Chapman all worked clean appearances. This win was the 15th straight, tying the team’s longest streak in the history of the franchise. Game three was packed, the highest attendance at Fenway Park since 2017 according to the broadcast. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the O’s Kyle Bradish was in fine form on Wednesday night. For the Red Sox, opener Eduardo Rivera only tossed 0.2 innings while giving up four earned runs and that’s all she wrote. Brayan Bello came out of the pen to throw 5.1 innings, walking one and striking out five. He’s added some velocity to his pitch mix since being called back up and it makes you start to wonder if he’s going to be in the conversation for the starting rotation with Connelly Early now shipped out to Washington. Behind Bello, Ryan Watson and Alec Gamboa finished the game out in quiet fashion. Offensively, there was nothing to really get excited about. The lone RBI belonged to Masataka Yoshida. Everyone then turned their attention to the weekend series against the Blue Jays to see how the team would rebound after their first loss in quite some time. Blue Jays Series: In game one, Anthony Seigler was the star of the show in the Friday Fenway Greens. The rookie went four-for-five on the night, including a home run to open the contest. Rafaela contributed another home run and two RBIs on the night, while Andruw Monasterio and Romy Gonzalez also drove in one run each. Patrick Sandoval was shaky in the start, but worked his way out of a couple of jams early on. He ended up going 4.2 innings while striking out three and allowing no earned runs. Guerrero, Greg Weissert, Whitlock, and Chapman all came out of the pen in this one. Weissert reverted to his old self in this appearance, allowing three earned runs to let the Blue Jays back into the game, but the offense bailed him out again. Game two was nothing to write home about. Dylan Cease looked every bit of the Cy Young contender that he has been all season. He had his no-hitter broken up by Monasterio, but that was all the offense the Red Sox could muster. Shockingly, Sonny Gray was incredibly shaky. He allowed five earned runs over five innings, while only striking out three. Gamboa covered the final four innings, indicating that he would likely be the person sent down when Ranger Suarez was activated before game three. In game three, Suarez worked a quick game but was fantastic in his four innings. He struck out four and allowed no earned runs. Weissert, Guerrero, Slaten, and Ryan Watson finished out the game with only Watson allowing an earned run on the day. Offensively, newcomer Jahmai Jones shone off the bench with a two-RBI double, Duran contributed two RBIs himself, and Wilyer Abreu and Rafaela both knocked in a run to help give the team the win. It was a great way to respond after the loss in game two and sent the team on the West Coast trip with growing confidence. Website Highlights Red Sox and Nationals Trade Connelly Early and Curtis Mead in 1-for-1 Swap by Nick John 3 Players Most Responsible for Red Sox’s Historic WInning Streak by Cory Sparks Wilyer Abreu has Entered the Goldilocks Zone at the Plate by Maddie Landis Red Sox Trade Deadline Targets: Ryan Jeffers is the Upgrade Behind the Plate We’ve Been Waiting For by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead 07/27/26: Red Sox (Payton Tolle) @ Athletics (Jack Perkins): 9:40 PM EDT 07/28/26: Red Sox (Jake Bennett) @ Athletics (Gage Jump): 9:40 PM EDT 07/29/26: Red Sox (Patrick Sandoval) @ Athletics (Jacob Lopez): 9:40 PM EDT 07/30/26: Red Sox (Sonny Gray) @ Athletics (TBD): 9:40 PM EDT 07/31/26: Red Sox @ Dodgers: 10:10 PM EDT 08/01/26: Red Sox @ Dodgers: 9:10 PM EDT 08/02/26: Red Sox @ Dodgers: 7:20 PM EDT Sunday Night Baseball View full article