Alex Mayes

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.

Took 2 of 3 from STL. I was at that entire series and Friday wasn’t super fun with Dustin May shoving against us, but both the Saturday and Sunday games were a blast.

The Phillies are in a far worse situation than the Mets or Sox exactly because of the price and ages of their signed guys. That window is slamming such with each passing day.

That’s an idea. It’s possible for sure. I do know his “trusted circle” is incredibly small.

I think Henry is a pretty prideful guy but I don't think he believes he's the smartest person in the room, at least not any more.

It's more so that I believe Cora has the characteristics that are found in GMs who put together a winning team. I think Breslow's biggest fault is he believes he's the smartest man in the room and doesn't listen to other people because he thinks he knows better than they do. With Cora, I think he understands the human element of baseball and would surround himself with assistant GMs who support the team vision. That being said, there's a list of possible replacement candidates I'd like. Cora just happens to be on there.

We really appreciate the quality of questions you’ve been submitting. Makes for very fun conversations!

I also really wanted Soto. That offseason until he signed was one of the more fun ones in recent memory.

I remember when everyone was convinced Cohen would put together a billion dollar superteam juggernaut in his first couple of seasons.

I'm trying real hard to find some sort of solace in this season.

If you were to tell most baseball fans back in March that the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets were in a very similar situation as the season heads into July, the majority of them would have assumed that both teams were competing for the top Wild Card spot at worst in their respective leagues. Instead, we have two bottom-of-the-barrel teams who have fired their managers and have a fanbase calling for the dismissal of their General Managers/President of Baseball Operations. Alex Cora was fired on April 26 and exactly two short months later, the Mets followed suit and dismissed Carlos Mendoza. While the Red Sox and Mets are in very similar places — the former enters July with a 36-46 overall record and the latter owns a 35-49 overall record — the biggest difference is how they approached roster construction heading into the 2026 season and the money they have tied up in veteran players. Obviously, roster construction doesn’t sit at the feet of either Alex Cora or Carlos Mendoza, so now that the managers are gone, fans have turned their ire at the front office. Craig Breslow has built a pitching powerhouse in Boston that has been backed up by capable defense around the infield thanks to additions of Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin. David Stearns also preached “run prevention” as he looked to construct the 2026 Mets, but things haven’t gone well for them in that department. According to FanGraphs, the Mets currently have a 2026 projected payroll of $365 million. Superstar Juan Soto is under contract through 2039 for an average annual value of $51 million a season, Francisco Lindor is signed through 2031 for an AAV of $31.9 million, and recently acquired Marcus Semien through 2028 at an AAV of $24 million. In addition to that, they have Bo Bichette under contract for an AAV of $42 million. He’s not included in the main grouping because he technically can opt out of his three-year contract after this season, but with the way he’s currently playing, that’s far from a guarantee. The Mets have six arbitration-eligible players and seven who are not yet eligible for arbitration. If we look at those same style of numbers for the Red Sox, it paints a drastically different picture. The Red Sox have an estimated 2026 payroll of $197 million according to Fangraphs. Their four highest AAVs are owed to Garrett Crochet ($28.3 million per season through 2031), Ranger Suarez ($26 million per season through 2030 with a mutual option for 2031), Trevor Story ($23.3 million per season through 2027 with a club option for 2028), and Willson Contreras ($21.25 million per season through 2027 with a club option for 2028). They also have Sonny Gray still currently on the books at technically $41 million AAV for 2026 with a mutual option for 2027, but the Cardinals paid $21 million of his salary in the trade that sent him to Boston. The other long-term commitments the Red Sox have are for Roman Anthony through 2033 with a club option for 2034, Kristian Campbell through 2032 with club options for both 2033 and 2034, and Ceddanne Rafaela through 2031 with a club option for 2032, The Red Sox have seven arbitration-eligible players and nine players who are not yet eligible for arbitration. While Craig Breslow has made some missteps in his time with the Red Sox, and could very well be on his way out of town at the conclusion of the season, he’s handed out contract extensions to young players that should mostly impact the future of the organization in a positive way. The biggest potential exception to that could be Brayan Bello’s contract that keeps him in Boston through 2029 with a club option for 2030. The biggest negative on that contract is that his salary grows exceptionally starting in 2028, doubling his 2027 paycheck. Otherwise, Breslow has developed the best pitching pipeline the Red Sox have seen in ages. Both rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early have had breakout seasons in 2026 while Jake Bennett has pitched well for both the WooSox and the Red Sox when needed. The biggest knock against the chief baseball officer is that he hasn’t been able to navigate the infamous outfield logjam, though that's a dead horse we won't beat right now. Most importantly, Red Sox fans are demanding and expect playoff berths year in and year out. Breslow has delivered one trip to the Wild Card round during his tenure and that may not be enough for Fenway Sports Group to justify hanging onto him for the remainder of his contract. Returning to Stearns, he has handed out some incredibly large contracts that haven’t aged incredibly well or have potential to hamstring the franchise in just a few seasons. They have substantial money coming off the books from now through 2029 but their treatment of All-Star Pete Alonso likely won’t be forgotten by the other homegrown players still on their roster and the free agents in the coming years. We’ve talked this much about the Mets and their issues and haven’t even begun to address their pitching woes. Both Kodai Senga and Devin Williams look like money thrown down the drain, and their highly touted group of young pitching prospects, outside of Nolan McLean, have taken significant steps back this season. The biggest question of all, though, knowing that we're barreling toward what will likely be an extended lockout come Dec. 1: Do either FSG or Steve Cohen feel that navigating a totally different economic landscape with someone new at the helm is worth the risk? They are the only ones that can truly answer that question, but the landscape of baseball will be completely different once we get back into action in 2027. Going with the known over the unknown is likely the safest move when evaluating your front office needs for the next season. That could mean that both Stearns and Breslow remain in place for at least an additional year. While both organizations have big messes to clean up, at least Breslow is working with a much cleaner slate than his New York counterpart. View full article

The consensus around Abreu at the end of last year was that he had to hit left handed pitching to take the next step. As maybe the biggest Abreu fan on this website, no one expected him to be a bigger star than Anthony. He had/still has the potential to be a star in his own right but he never carried the expectations Anthony has carried. You had national publications predicting a top three MVP finish for Anthony this year. I agree Antony was miscast as a leadoff hitter.

I want a press conference where Henry and Cora are sitting on stage smoke cigars together.

I agree with you 100%. I said when they inked Cora to the extension that they purpose of that was to get his timeline to match up with Breslow's so when they moved on from Bres at the end of his contract, Cora could slide into that position. if they knew Cora would accept the position today, I think Breslow would be gone already. I think it's telling Cora is still interacting with Sox things on social media and has been seen out with members of FSG since his firing. He still owns his house in Boston as well. Anecdotal, but something to pay attention to.

You're right, no one was certain it would begin in year two but Breslow put a roster together with him as the main offensive weapon heading into his year two season. I'm a huge Anthony fan and expect him to be a star so I think that we're on the same page, but he had a lot of pressure put on him when Breslow failed to acquire another bat to pair with him and Contreras.

I acknowledged I misspoke, but the point remains pretty much the same. If he was worth 9 bWAR at the deadline and you could have gotten a front line starter PLUS a top four prospect, you should have done it. Passan is the most trusted voice in the sport for a reason.

At the time it was absolutely something to worry about. Now though, I think it's still a pretty attractive job to people. I also think the fact that you now have Henry out in public frequently, making sure to be seen is a huge indicator that things are changing within FSG again. I believe Ortiz when he says he's talked with John and John is worried about what's going on. Papi is employed by the team and he wouldn't have said it, and then doubled down on it, without knowing John is okay with that getting out. That was followed by Olney echoing the same thing. Then you have Kennedy who is ever the optimist, essentially saying, 'yeah, things are bad here and we are going to have to do some real searching for what the correct path forward is.' That's telling to me. Your point about the Dodgers and Padres is accurate. They attract the talent and, at least with the Dodgers, that talent gets them to the World Series year after year. I think the reason Boston isn't attracting the talent right now is mainly Breslow. Every agent knows that he's following a very limited scope of algorithms to make his decisions so if their guy doesn't fit into those systems, they don't even engage. Once you have a POBO/GM who understands the value of analytics along with the human intangibles, things begin to correct themselves.

I actually think that's now overblown. Yes, the team struggled to get applicants and Breslow wasn't their first choice, but it seems that Alex Cora's presence as the manager may have been one of the driving factors in that. I don't have any first hand accounts of that but the fact that Cora essentially got Bloom fired and was well known to be in Henry's ear was likely a deterrent to anyone who would have applied. You saw the same pattern with Breslow this year before Cora was fired. He was taking veiled shots in the media and hadn't yet moved on to getting shirts made that had quotes from Breslow on them like he did Bloom, but it was probably coming. Breslow is an intelligent man, saw what was starting to happen, likely talked to Bloom because they are friends, and instead went to Henry and co first. I've said since the day he was fired that when Breslow is let go, Cora is likely leading the pack to replace him as POBO/GM/whatever the title is. In hindsight, they should have just promoted Toboni to the position instead of refusing to give him the GM title under Breslow and losing him to the Nats.

Great way to put that.