The Boston Red Sox entered play Thursday six game under .500, but they are having reservations about waving the white flag ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reported the Red Sox are considering making a run at a postseason spot due to their hot streak over the past three weeks.
Boston (42-48) entered play just three games out of the final AL Wild Card berth, but it would have to hop three teams to get into a postseason spot.
Ken Rosenthal: The Red Sox may not Sell at the Trade Deadline
Boston fans have endured multiple years worth of drama amid the first half of this season. The Sox have, of course, fired manager Alex Cora and hit like one of the majors’ worst teams, especially at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox have delayed waving the white flag on 2026, mainly due to Craig Breslow’s tenuous job status. But Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and of course Jaren Duran, have all been the subject of trade rumors throughout the year, and Red Sox fans have been waiting to see where each will end up.
“The Red Sox are already receiving a lot of calls in case they end up on the sell side,” Rosenthal reported in The Athletic on Thursday. “They carry a handful of popular trade targets.”
But Breslow is further debating hanging onto those valuable players and trying to reach the playoffs for the second straight year. The AL is a mess, since there are only four teams above .500, and if the Sox stay hot in July they could easily get further in the thick of things.
“Boston wants to see if it could fight its way back into the playoff picture,” Rosenthal wrote. “Despite being as many as 14 games below .500 on June 24, the Red Sox, like so many other teams, are hanging around just well enough to complicate the trade market.
“Since that low-water mark, Boston has won 10 of its last 12 games.”
The Case for the Red Sox Selling
Breslow is smart to not officially quit on 2026, especially in the awful AL. He is a Yale graduate after all, which is why he also hasn’t decided to go all-in either.
“People briefed on the clubâs thinking suggested the Red Sox will be realistic about their position as the deadline gets closer,” Rosenthal wrote. “They are just three games behind the third American League wild card, with FanGraphs giving them a 27.5 percent shot at making the postseason.”
The Red Sox’s offensive woes have followed their 2025 struggles at scoring runs. After averaging more than five runs per game in the first half, that fell to 4.5 runs per game in the second half in 2025, and so far Boston ranks 28th in runs, averaging just 4.1 per game.
Offloading valuable players like Gray or Chapman could help Boston acquire valuable prospects or MLB-ready talent, especially if Breslow holds out for better bats.
Plus, the Red Sox don’t have to necessarily quit on their year just by making deadline trades. History is littered with playoff teams that have traded valuable talent only to get hot later.
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