Alex Mayes

The Anthony hate is so funny. The kid has a freak injury likely caused by the team’s hitting philosophy and people act like he’s made of glass. The fact that Duran is that high in every category says far more about the state of the team than his abilities. The fact Breslow couldn’t see the inevitable downturn that was coming post 24 was insane. He should have sold high on multiple occasions.

Absolutely, just throwing my thoughts on it into the conversation. I think a team, likely the Cardinals, will end up with him on a two or three year deal for more money than I’d be comfortable with at his age.

I’d bring him back on a low cost, two year deal to act as a mentor to Tolle and Early. Him working with them on their secondary stuff could push both of them to the next level.

We’re in agreement that we think they’ll include money. I just think someone like the Phillies will get real dumb when they miss out on Skubal so there’s a path forward to not eat much of it. I’d rather include the Cardinals money to up the return though.

Yeah, disagree. You said they’d have to eat money to get a decent return, I don’t. I think they should eat money to improve the return, but it’s not necessary to get a decent return back. The teams that miss out on Skubal will absolutely take on money like that to land Gray.

The contract is so funky when you dig into it. We disagree that the Sox have to eat money to get anything decent in return for him, but doing so gets an even better return so it's an easy call to make.

I think not trading him would be the worst decision Craig could make. Even if the Sox are somehow in a position to compete for a Wild Card spot post-deadline, you can survive without Gray if Crochet is headed back and fully healthy. We haven't gotten an info on Early's second opinion yet but, provided it comes back positive, then he will be around as well. I like Gray and have watched him pitch for quite a while since I live in Missouri. But he's sitting firmly at the top of the rental starter market and is flirting with ace territory for the rest of this season. Flip him to bolster this roster and the farm system then try to bring him back in the offseason on a two-year deal. That's my ideal path with him.

@mvp 78 the episode is live. Thanks again!

Even after a sweep of the lowly Angels, this Boston Red Sox team is stuck in last place in the AL East and is on the outside looking in at a Wild Card race of mostly .500 teams in front of them. While Alex Spier has reported that the team is likely to wait until after the All-Star Break to make a decision on if they should buy or sell, the timing is right to begin exploring deals for veteran players that can be traded for a haul as the deadline approaches. Obviously, teams are going to call about closer Aroldis Chapman and set-up man Garrett Whitlock, but the ace in the hole for the Red Sox will be none other than Sonny Gray. Gray has been the anchor of the starting rotation pretty much all season, even when Garrett Crochet was healthy, so it may seem a bit counterintuitive to trade him when he’s been such an important piece to this team. The rationale behind it is pretty simple though: He’s going to be the second-best starter available on the trade market, behind back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. The Red Sox are going virtually nowhere this year and should have an eye on competing in 2027, whenever that season does get underway in a post-lockout world. Moving on from Gray will allow the team to retool and add pieces who can contribute as soon as next season. Gray currently holds a 10-1 record over 89.2 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 22.8 K%, 6.4 BB%, 3.6 FIP, and a 1.6 fWAR. He’s been nothing short of elite. He’s worth a great quote at the end of each game and has the type of pitch mix that can play over the next couple of seasons as he gets older. He’s not going to light up the radar gun, but his off-speed and breaking pitches give batters fits on a nightly basis. The lone hangup for Gray could potentially be the club option attached to his current contract. In the trade that brought him from St. Louis to Boston, the Cardinals paid down $20 million of the remaining $31 million so, for this season, the team that trades for Gray will only be on the hook for what’s left of the $11 million the Red Sox are paying him. Where it gets tricky though, is next year’s option. Gray’s contract holds a $30 million mutual option with a $10 million buy out. That’s a lot of money on either side of the decision for a 37-year-old. To improve the return, Boston may need to help pay down some of that opt-out money. The good news is that there are some semi-recent trades of top of the line starters who are in the final year of their contract that we can look to maybe point us in the right direction as to what a return for Gray may look like. Ironically, they both feature former Red Sox players. Let’s turn the clock back to 2014 and 2015. Trade 1 Boston Red Sox Receive: OF Yoenis Cespedes, 2015 competitive balance draft pick Oakland A’s Receive: SP Jon Lester, OF Jonny Gomes, Cash considerations Trade 2 Tigers Receive: LHPs Daniel Norris, Matthew Boyd, Jairo Labourt Blue Jays Receive: David Price Let’s start with the trade the Red Sox made. It’s not a direct comparison since Gomes was included in the deal, but there’s a chance there could be a package with a current Red Sox outfielder to get a very similar deal done. The Sox received an All-Star outfielder in Cespedes, who was on the next-to-last year of his contract in 2014. He fit the mold of what the current team is looking for; an offensive force that required opposing pitchers to rethink how they were going to approach the guys in the lineup around him. The Red Sox, even being as far down in the standings as they are, are looking for the impact right-handed bat they were unable to put next to Willson Contreras in the offseason. Using Gray as the centerpiece of a trade could net them that, plus some given today’s improved market for sellers thanks to the introduction of a third Wild Card spot. Looking at the Price trade, the return was centered around Norris, who was the top overall prospect for the Jays. Labourt was the 13th ranked while Boyd clocked in as the 29th ranked prospect in their system. Turning Price into a number one prospect and two additional top 30 prospects was solid work by Dave Dombrowski, who was promptly fired a few days after the trade. While it’s possible Craig Breslow could be looking at the same fate as Dombrowski in 2015, if he can turn Sonny Gray into a haul of pitchers like Dombrowski did back then, he may extend his stay in Boston by another season. Again, the trade market is drastically different now than it was 10+ years ago, but that should mean that Craig Breslow can capitalize even more on Gray’s value as we near the dog days of summer. While the veteran right-hander would be fun to watch through the end of the season here in Boston, the value he brings to such a downtrodden team is being an elite rental starter. There should be no shortage of suitors attempting to pry him out of town. View full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 4-2 Runs Scored Last Week: 29 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 29 Standings 5th in AL East 12.5 GB First Place Transactions 07/01/26: Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Alec Gamboa from Worcester Red Sox. 07/01/26: Athletics traded 3B Brett Harris to Boston Red Sox for RHP Ben Hansen. 07/01/26: Boston Red Sox placed LHP Connelly Early on the 15-day injured list. Left elbow inflammation. 07/01/26: Boston Red Sox activated LHP Jovani Morán from the 15-day injured list. 07/01/26: Boston Red Sox designated RHP Tommy Kahnle for assignment. 07/02/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent RHP Sam McWilliams to a minor league contract 07/02/26: Boston Red Sox sent 3B Nick Sogard on a rehab assignment to Portland Sea Dogs. 07/03/26: Boston Red Sox sent RHP Tommy Kahnle outright to Worcester Red Sox. Scores Game 83: BOS 6, WSH 3 Game 84: BOS 1, WSH 8 Game 85: BOS 2, WSH 10 Game 86: BOS 5, LAA 2 Game 87: BOS 8, LAA 1 Game 88: BOS 7, LAA 5 Series Breakdown/Highlights Nationals Series: Remember that wave of great feelings we were all riding after the sweep of the Yankees? Well, it continued into game one of this series. Ranger Suarez gave the Red Sox their 12th quality start in a row, tossing six innings of three-run baseball on Monday night. He allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out eight. Willson Contreras had maybe the most electric home run of the season in the first inning, and that likely led to a couple of other things that happened this series as well. Caleb Durbin continued the home run party for the Sox while Wilyer Abreu and Carlos Narvaez added one RBI each as well. Contreras was ejected for tapping his helmet as he walked back to the dugout at the conclusion of the second inning. Game two got the fireworks started before the holiday weekend had a chance to get here. First, Connelly Early was removed after only throwing four innings with inflammation in his left elbow. He was subsequently placed on the injured list the following day. He seemed to be on his way to the 13th straight quality start before the elbow started to bark at him. From there, the bullpen gave up eight earned runs, with Tommy Kahnle giving up half of them. He was subsequently DFA’d after the game. The next, and bigger, story of the game came after Contreras struck out in his second at-bat of the night. Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli seemed to take umbrage to Contreras cutting across the infield and getting in his way at the conclusion of the first inning. The pitcher subsequently yelled at Contreras after the latter struck out. Contreras seemed confused, and Cavalli kept talking, until the dugouts and bullpens cleared and we had more than just some pushing and shoving. Contreras then threw his helmet at Cavalli and had to be restrained by multiple members of the Red Sox, and even Keibert Ruiz of the Nationals. Nate Eaton and Miles Mikolas got into a ‘who can throw the other on the ground first’ match, and all three were ejected from the game. After that, the Red Sox's bats went cold for the remainder of the series. Game three wasn’t worth watching. Payton Tolle had arguably the worst start of his career, only going three innings and giving up six earned runs, seven hits, three walks, and five strikeouts. From there, Ryan Watson, Jovani Moran, and Alec Gamboa all allowed earned runs as well. Durbin and Eaton contributed the two runs the Sox scored on the day, and the team likely hoped to put this whole series behind them as they flew across the country to Anaheim. Angels series: Although both Contreras and Eaton were suspended for their involvement in the skirmish on Tuesday, they both appealed and were able to play the entirety of the series against the Angels. In game one, Jake Bennett turned in the best start of his young career by a mile. He threw 7.2 innings of six-strikeout, two-earned-run baseball. We saw Garrett Whitlock come in to close out the eighth inning and then were treated to Aroldis Chapman breaking the all-time MLB strikeout record for a reliever. Every strikeout he throws from now until the end of his career will just continue to cement him as a Hall of Famer. On the offensive side, Durbin continued to be on an absolute heater at the plate, going yard again. Recently activated Romy Gonzalez got in on the action with two RBIs, and Jarren Duran drove in a couple to put the game out of reach. Game two saw another offensive breakout for the Sox, led by home runs from Contreras and Gonzalez. Abreu and Rafaela also contributed RBIs to the cause. Durbin turned in a zero-for-five game at the dish, a rarity for him since he started working with an outside hitting coach. On the defensive side of the ball, Sonny Gray continued his dominant run with six innings of seven-strikeout, one-earned-run baseball. Moran, Greg Weissert, and Gamboa all saw action out of the bullpen to secure the win for Gray, who was snubbed of an All-Star appearance that was announced earlier in the day. Game three featured All-Star Ranger Suarez in an outing that saw him only toss 2.2 innings before he was removed with left abductor tightness. In his almost three innings, he managed to strike out five while giving up three earned runs. Both Justin Slaten and Aroldis Chapman also gave up an earned run in the outing. Duran and Contreras got the party going for the Red Sox who, through the first three innings, couldn’t seem to break through until Contreras put them in the lead for good. Masataka Yoshida and Abreu also contributed RBIs.. This was a series sweep against a team that should have been swept, but the Red Sox had let us down in those matchups earlier in the season. They now fly to Chicago to take on the White Sox, a team no one anticipated being as good as they are this season. Website Highlights How Jake Bennett is Succeeding Without a Dominant Pitch by Yirsandy Rodriguez Brayan Bello, Kristian Campbell Know There is Work to be done Before Returning to Red Sox by Nick John Anthony Seigler, AKA The Red Sox’s Luis Arraez by Jack Lindsay Red Sox Can Talk Solace in One Simple Fact: They Aren’t the Mets by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead 07/06/26: Off day 07/07/26: Red Sox (Payton Tolle) @ White Sox (Noah Schultz): 7:40 PM EDT 07/08/26: Red Sox (Jake Bennett) @ White Sox (Davis Martin): 7:40 PM EDT 07/09/26: Red Sox (TBD) @ White Sox (Anthony Kay): 2:10 PM EDT 07/10/26: Red Sox @ Mets: 7:15 PM EDT 07/11/26: Red Sox @ Mets: 4:10 PM EDT 07/12/26: Red Sox @ Mets: 1:40 PM EDT View full article

The month of June began with a whimper for the Boston Red Sox and ended with a sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park. Talk about a month of extremes for this organization. Choosing which major-league hitters to highlight as this month’s top offensive players wasn’t overly difficult, thanks to two names who have been contributors all season and one who sought help outside the organization to fix his plate approach. Ranking Red Sox's Best Hitters in June Honorable Mention: Anthony Seigler June Stats: 13 G, 44 PA, .350/.409/.550, 9.1 BB%, 20.5 K%, 164 wRC+, 0.6 fWAR Seigler isn’t a qualified hitter for the month of June, but he’s provided a spark in the offense in the wake of Marcelo Mayer’s injury. He’s young, energetic, and gives the fans a new face to rally behind from game to game. His first big-league home run came off Gerrit Cole, so he can brag about that for the rest of his life. Honorable Mention: Connor Wong June Stats: 11 G, 34 PA, .333/.441/.444, 14.7 BB%, 17.6 K%, 150 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR Like Seigler, Wong isn’t a qualified hitter for the month of June given his playing time, but he’s proven the team was right to keep him around in a platoon catching role for the 2026 season. He finally broke his almost two-year home run drought last month and has been a pleasant surprise at the dish this season, especially considering what his 2025 production looked like. #3: Ceddanne Rafaela June Stats: 25 G, 107 PA, .288/.302/.433, 1.9 BB%, 16.8 K%, 98 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR Rafaela has been a great surprise offensively this season. Until very recently, he had become more selective with his swing decisions and, even though his walk rate for the month is fairly abysmal, he’s still been able to make solid contact and impact games in a mostly positive way. He knocked in 12 RBIs, stole four bases, and contributed two home runs during June. To this point in his career, Rafaela had been known as the guy you wanted at the plate when the game was on the line because he seemed to have a knack for coming through with the clutch hit time after time. That’s not happened really at all this season, but he’s impacting the game on a daily basis with his bat (and glove), so he can be forgiven for his drop-off in the power department. He’s third on this list, even though he was second on the team in batting average for June, because at the end of the month he began to show signs of his old, chase-happy self. That needs to stop for him to fully take the next step in his career. #2: Willson Contreras June Stats: 26 G, 105 PA, .269/.352/.581, 7.5 BB%, 28.6 K%, 152 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR Contreras has been the lifeblood of this offense, and really the team as a whole, for the entire season, but his month of June was magical to watch. He hit seven home runs, drove in 20 runs, and even stole a bag. He’s swing-happy, but we knew that when he was traded to Boston, so the high strikeout percentage isn’t anything to worry about. His walk rate has been better this year, but the thing to really be impressed with is how seamlessly he’s meshed with the Green Monster. The first baseman has made left field his best friend and has already proven to have a knack for driving baseballs onto Lansdowne Avenue. His swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park and the team would be wise to not deal him as we approach the trade deadline (unless someone is willing to go crazy to acquire him). He’s put this team on his back more than once, and once his current suspension is over, expect him to continue to show up on this list in future months. #1: Caleb Durbin June Stats: 25 G, 92 PA, .326/.359/.605, 5.4 BB%, 14.1 K%, 160 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR If there’s one thing Craig Breslow can now hang his hat on, it’s the fact that Caleb Durbin has finally turned into the player we were hoping for when he was acquired from Milwaukee before spring training began. Durbin struggled through the start of the season, pressing at the plate and hitting screamers directly into the dirt. As May turned to June, Durbin began working with an external hitting instructor and that seems to have unlocked a new gear for him; he’s solidified himself as a stable building block for the Red Sox for years to come. Durbin drove in 13 runs, knocked six homers, and stole five bases in June. He offers Gold-Glove-caliber defense at third and now that his offensive abilities are finally being showcased, he’s quickly turning into a fan favorite. He even dislocated his pinky finger at the end of the month and returned to the lineup the following game to help sweep the Yankees at Fenway. That’s the perfect way to ingratiate yourself to this fan base. View full article

Happy 4th to everyone on Talk Sox! @Maddie Landis and I are recording the next episode of the podcast on Monday night since the Sunday night game is so late. If you have questions, post them here! We'll put the cut off for questions on Monday, 7/6 at 5 pm CST.