The Boston Red Sox closed out their homestand with a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday at Fenway Park. The victory gave them an 8-2 record over the homestand, pushed them to 54-50 on the season, and extended one of the most remarkable stretches in recent franchise history. Boston has won 25 of their last 32 games, including 17 of the last 19.
A month ago, this team was 15.5 games out of first place. Now they hold a wild-card spot and the front office is responding accordingly.
On Saturday night, the Red Sox made their first significant move ahead of the trade deadline. Craig Breslow explained the reasons behind it.
Red Sox Acquire Curtis Mead From the Nationals
Boston traded left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead. The deal did not take long to materialize, with both sides finding a clean match. Washington needed pitching. Boston needed a bat.
Mead is in the middle of a genuine breakout season. The 25-year-old has 17 home runs, 48 RBI, and an .852 OPS across 87 games with the Nationals. Over his last 16 games in July, he has posted a 1.115 OPS with 10 extra-base hits. He had struggled to find consistency over his first three major league seasons before everything clicked this year.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the front office sees the improvement as real and sustainable, pointing to meaningful changes in Mead’s mechanics and approach that have translated into consistent damage at the plate.
The plan is to use Mead at second base, keeping Caleb Durbin at third where he has played elite defense all season.
GettyWASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 22: Curtis Mead #45 of the Washington Nationals runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the seventh inning at Nationals Park on June 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)
Breslow Makes His Stance Clear
“I think the players deserve it. I think the fans deserve it,” Breslow said. “It has been a turbulent path to get here, but the resilience and kind of toughness of this team has become very apparent, and the opportunity to upgrade is something that we’re looking for.”
The skepticism around this team was real and justified for most of the first half. Breslow never wavered from his position, even when the record made it difficult to defend.
“I have tried to be as outspoken as possible, even in the face of a lot of skepticism, that we believe in the players, we believe in this team, we believe in the group,” Breslow said.
Trading Early was not easy. He went 8-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 21 starts this season and had been part of the team’s core pitching group. But the Red Sox needed offense more than they needed rotation depth, and Mead’s bat fills a hole that has been there all year.
“It’s really tough,” Breslow said. “But looking at our roster, looking at our needs, we felt like this was something that makes us better.”
The trade also reflects the front office’s trust in Jake Bennett, who has emerged as a building block with a 2.58 ERA in 10 starts. With Bennett, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, and Patrick Sandoval in the rotation, the Red Sox had enough pitching depth to absorb the loss and upgrade elsewhere.
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 30: Connelly Early #71 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after the final out of the fourth inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park on June 30, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Where the Red Sox Stand Now
Sunday’s win capped a homestand that featured six sellouts and a fanbase that has fully bought back in. Jarren Duran went 3 for 4 with a two-run single. Jahmai Jones came off the bench to hammer a two-run double in the seventh. The lineup found different ways to produce, the same way it has all month.
Boston heads to California for a seven-game road trip starting Monday in Oakland before heading to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. By the time they return to Fenway on Aug. 4, the trade deadline will have passed and the roster could look different again.
More moves may be coming. Breslow made clear the front office is looking for every opportunity to improve.
GettyBoston Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow.
Final Word for the Red Sox
A month ago, nobody was talking about the Red Sox as buyers. Now the front office is trading prospects for impact bats and the chief baseball officer is telling the world he believes in this group.
The players earned that belief. Breslow is backing it up.
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