Boston Red Sox fans are all but dying to see Craig Breslow make good on his promise at the MLB Trade Deadline. After the Rafael Devers trade, the top decision-maker in Boston made it clear that the Red Sox would be aggressive buyers at the deadline, and hasn't backed down from that. Yet, two days before the trade deadline and clinging onto a Wild Card spot after a brutal loss on Monday to the Twins, the moves haven't come yet. And fans are starting to grow impatient.
The needs remain the same: High-end starting pitcher, first base help, bullpen help, and backup catcher. It also seems, according to some late-breaking rumors, that the Red Sox could pull off an in-division steal to pry Yandy Diaz from Tampa Bay. That'd be a dream, but it's been somewhat quiet on that front with the Rays fence-sitting on their trade deadline direction. But that's far from all that's going on with Boston right now.
Let's check in on the latest Red Sox trade deadline rumors to see where things stand for Boston and what could be materializing.
Red Sox not trading Jarren Duran, but Padres won't stop trying
For more than a month, it seemed as if the Red Sox were willing to further risk the chemistry of the locker room with the exchange being clearing out the outfield logjam by trading Jarren Duran. However, that smoke has started to die down of late, with Rob Bradford of WEEI potentially putting an end to all of that earlier this week as he reported that Boston "is no longer entertaining the idea of trading Jarren Duran." Especially in the wake of the Marcelo Mayer injury that moves Ceddanne Rafaela to second base against right-handers, that stands to reason.
Having said that, the Red Sox exploring other options isn't stopping one of the most aggressive suitors for Duran, the San Diego Padres, from continuing to try and pry the speedy former All-Star Game MVP from Boston's clutches.
Padres insider Dennis Lin of The Athletic ($) reported that, even knowing that Boston isn't planning to trade Duran, San Diego GM A.J. Preller has still continued to express interest and poke around on the athletic outfielder. Lin also noted the "exhaustiveness" of Preller in his previous pursuits, so this is par for the course.
However, with previous reports also indicating that the Red Sox turned down a Padres offer of Dylan Cease (a rental) and catching prospect Ethan Salas, it's clear that Preller and San Diego would have to up that package quite substantially to get Boston to budge at all at in these conversations.
Would Cease plus top prospect Leo De Vries be enough to pique Boston's interest? Or is this a conversation that will simply be renewed in offseason trade conversations? My gut tells me it's the latter, when the Red Sox will again have a need to clear out the outfield logjam. And if Duran can continue his recent improvement through the end of the season, it might also net Breslow and Boston an even better haul from the Padres or otherwise.
Boston facing a brutal dilemma to trade for a starting pitcher
The Cease part of the conversation with Duran and the Padres feels particularly relevant to the Red Sox. One has to imagine that at least part of Breslow's reluctance to trade for the former AL Cy Young runner-up is the fact that he's a rental. It's been made clear for more than a month now that Boston ideally is looking for a No. 2 starting pitcher behind Garrett Crochet but preferably not one that has club control beyond this season.
That's why insiders like Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN listed the Red Sox as the top trade fits for two of the biggest names who have been floated in rumors this summer, Twins ace Joe Ryan and Nationals breakout southpaw Mackenzie Gore. They were also near the top for two more intriguing names, Edward Cabrera of the Marlins and Mitch Keller with the Pirates. The problem, however, is that many of those arms still feel less likely to get dealt at the deadline than they are to stay put.
The ESPN insiders gave Ryan and Gore only a 10% chance of being traded, while Cabrera is at 30% and Keller tops the list at 65%.
Therein lies the conundrum that Breslow and the Red Sox are currently facing when it comes to upgrading the rotation. Yes, it's completely reasonable why Boston wants to add a controllable arm, especially with Lucas Giolito and Walker Buehler potentially entering free agency this offseason. At the same time, those deals are exceptionally expensive at the trade deadline, even if the Sox have the capital to pay such a price, and teams are also a bit more hesitant to move such arms as well.
What remains to be seen, and perhaps the biggest factor for the Red Sox in their pursuit of a postseason spot, is if Breslow will be stubbornly steadfast in the pursuit of controllable arms or if he'd settle for a rental. Players like Cease, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, and, to a lesser degree, the likes of Charlie Morton and Adrian Houser, would all represent upgrades for the remainder of the season. We'll have to see if the GM remains rigid in his stance, or if he bends to try and actually reshape the Red Sox into a contender.
Former Dodgers top prospect Dalton Rushing connected to Red Sox
Connor Wong finally notched his first extra-base hit of the 2025 season in the past week, but he remains hitless with runners in scoring position and, even as a backup to Carlos Narvaez, has been one of the worst offensive players in the sport this year, regardless of position. In the interest of protecting the rookie Narvaez's health and getting some sort of production from the backup spot at catcher, an upgrade over Wong is sorely needed. And one name that's been popping up is Dodgers backup and former top prospect Dalton Rushing.
Red Sox insider Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reported last week that Boston is interested in Rushing, who could serve as a perfect upgrade and replacement for Wong in the backup role, especially if the Dodgers seek value for a high-end young player currently blocked for the foreseeable future by Will Smith at the position. At the same time, though, LA manager Dave Roberts said this week that he didn't imagine Rushing would be traded, and that the team would look to get him more reps. This also comes as Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that the Dodgers have been scouting Boston's High-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive.
For Roberts' comments, there could be truth to that. The Red Sox aren't just going to steal Rushing for nothing. He's still a useful player, despite his .545 OPS in the majors in 29 games this season, and could truly break out when given more opportunities. At the same time, though, when it comes to trade deadline season, you always have to consider that comments like these could be used to maintain leverage. We truly don't know which category Roberts' assertion falls under right now.
If it's at all a possibility for Boston, though, it's certainly worth exploring. Rushing still has at least five years of club control remaining and could form a dynamic duo with Narvaez at catcher for years to come, much more so than the combo of him and Wong at this point have. It might be nothing, but it's definitely a name to monitor up until the deadline given the Red Sox's situation and the seemingly perfect fit in this case.