Latest news with #Craig Breslow
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
One big question for each American League team, 5 hours before the trade deadline
Here are the most pressing questions as the time ticks down on the trade deadline. How many moves can they make? The Orioles have already traded three relievers and a third baseman, but their roster is still littered with pending free agents. Could they still trade all of Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton? What about Trevor Rogers and his one remaining year of control? Advertisement Will Craig Breslow do better than last summer? In his first year as head of baseball operations, Breslow made a series of ill-fated deadline deals that did nothing to keep the Red Sox in contention. It didn't cost him a ton, but the additions fell flat, and the Red Sox missed the playoffs. So far this year, he's added swingman Seth Lugo and remains in the market for a starter and a first baseman. Can Breslow make a move that gets the Red Sox to October? Should they jump into the relief pitcher fray? The Yankees acted early to address their infield issues, and they grabbed a right-handed hitter to solidify their outfield, but the Yankees still need help in the bullpen. Some of the biggest deadline deals have been for closers. Will the Yankees get in on the action (in a kind of re-do of their offseason deal for Devin Williams)? Will they trade an infielder? The Rays have swapped one catcher for another, and they've tapped into their rotation depth to send Zack Littell to the Reds. They're considering whether to trade closer Pete Fairbanks. But would they trade either second baseman Brandon Lowe or first baseman Yandy Diaz, because those two fill holes where the market is a bit thinner? What would it take to be the team to beat in the AL? The Blue Jays reached the trade deadline tied for the most wins in baseball. They've climbed to the top of the AL East and FanGraphs gives them a 95.9 percent chance of making the playoffs with a 7.3 percent chance of winning the World Series. That's the seventh-best World Series odds in baseball and fourth-best in the American League. After adding a starter (Shane Bieber) and a reliever (Seranthony Domínguez), can the Blue Jays make the kind of addition that leaves them as the overall favorite in the American League? Advertisement How much can they get for Adrian Houser? Pulled from a scheduled start earlier this week, it seems clear that Houser is readily available for teams looking to add rotation depth. But what's a breakout season worth? Houser has a 2.10 ERA through 11 starts with the White Sox. It's a career year (though he was also pretty good with the Brewers in 2021). How much can the White Sox get for such a pitcher, especially with so many starters still on the market? What would it take to move Steven Kwan? If Shane Bieber can go, why not Kwan? Obviously Kwan's younger with more years of control, but that only raises his value in a market that's relatively light on offensive impact. Guardians fans recognize that the team is in a rebuild. Kwan's a tough piece to trade — it would be another blow after the Emmanuel Clase news and the Bieber deal — but it's possible a needy team could convince the Guardians to make the move to rebuild with force. Are they going to make a splash? The Tigers made an early move for back-end starter Chris Paddack (basically replacing injured Reese Olson), and they've since added a couple of veteran middle-inning relievers. But the Tigers have not added to the roster in a way you'd expect for a team that, for a while, had the best record in baseball this season. The Tigers added Kyle Finnegan, a second or third-tier closer. But is there a major upgrade coming, or are the Tigers simply reinforcing their depth? What's the plan? With a losing record and 12.4 percent playoff odds on FanGraphs, the Royals don't seem to be going anywhere this season. Yet, their biggest moves of the past week have been to extend 35-year-old Seth Lugo and trade for 33-year-old outfielder Randal Grichuk. Are they buying? Are they treading water? Are they trying to thread the needle? How far will they go? Trading Paddack was one thing (a back-end starter heading for free agency isn't hard to deal), but trading closer Jhoan Duran put the Twins among the deadline's most aggressive sellers. They could still easily trade outfielder Harrison Bader, infielder Willi Castro and reliever Danny Coulombe — all potential free agents at the end of the year — but could they be tempted to stay aggressive with a compelling offer for either Joe Ryan or Pablo López? Advertisement Wow. Now what? Trading Mason Miller and JP Sears was bold. Granted, the prospect package was enough to blow them away, but still, the Athletics committed to a something more than trading some pending free agents. Can they do more? Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs stand out as obvious trade chips, but what about controllable left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, who's blocked at his two best positions? This market is screaming for offense, and Soderstrom is a 23-year-old with 19 homers. Could they actually bring back Carlos Correa? A move for a starting pitcher feels more likely — maybe Dylan Cease or even Sandy Alcantara — but that's been the thinking for a while. The really fascinating wild-card developing the past few days is the possibility of a trade for Correa. This one is a long shot, but it's the kind of long shot that sticks in your head this time of year. Are they really buying right now? FanGraphs gives the Angels a 3.2 percent chance of making the playoffs, yet their only move so far is to trade for two relievers in their mid to late 30s. In a market light on right-handed bats, are they really going to keep Taylor Ward? In a market desperate for relievers and team control, are they really not going to sell high on Reid Detmers? Is there any value at all in keeping 35-year-old Tyler Anderson? Can they add a finishing touch? The Mariners have addressed their primary objective. They've successfully improved their lineup by trading for two of the best corner infielders on the market, getting both Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez from the Diamondbacks. Those were their weakest positions, and they've strengthened them quite a bit. Now, can they add a relief pitcher and maybe a bench bat to really solidify things for a late-season run? Texas Rangers Are they going to get in on the action? For much of the season, the Rangers were trending toward another disappointment, but they've most recently played their way right into the thick of the wild-card race. They could get some reinforcements as various players come off the IL, but the Rangers are one of the few teams that hasn't made a move this week. Was their recent surge enough to become buyers, or was it simply enough to keep the front office from selling? (Top photo of Steven Kwan: Daniel Bartel / Getty Images)
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Red Sox at trade deadline: San Diego still after Jarren Duran, Garrett Crochet pushed back
MINNEAPOLIS — As the trade deadline enters its final 24 hours, Jarren Duran's name is still squarely in the mix, with the San Diego Padres continuing to pursue the outfielder. One National League evaluator noted the Padres' extreme interest in Duran and cited San Diego general manager AJ Preller's 'aggressiveness' as a reason he felt a deal could get done. Advertisement Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said publicly he does not feel the need to trade from his group of four young, controllable outfielders, but Preller could force his hand. With the market at a standstill for controllable starters, the Red Sox might shift their interest to rental starters, and San Diego's Dylan Cease is available. Boston wouldn't trade Duran just for Cease, who has a 4.79 ERA in 22 starts, but if San Diego included top prospect infielder Leodalis De Vries, the Red Sox would consider it. The Athletic's Keith Law ranks De Vries as the No. 13 prospect in baseball. The Padres believe they might be one of the only teams that can still get Duran at the deadline. The Red Sox know that and have stood pat, with one NL evaluator noting the game of chicken played by teams at this time of year. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers could put themselves in the Duran equation, if only to drive up the asking price for their NL West division opponent, but as of Wednesday afternoon, Los Angeles was not in the mix for Duran, according to a league source. If the trade rumors swirling over the past week have been any distraction for Duran, who drove in four runs in a 13-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, it hasn't shown at the plate. Smile if you have 4-RBI today. 😁 — Red Sox (@RedSox) July 30, 2025 On a related note, Duran has hit leadoff for much of the last two seasons, with Rob Refsnyder mixed in at the top spot against tough lefties over the past month. However, last weekend, manager Alex Cora started hitting rookie Roman Anthony in the top spot, moving Duran to third. Wednesday marked the fourth straight game in which Anthony has hit leadoff, tying the longest stretch of games that Duran has not been in the top spot. Advertisement The moves have strengthened the lineup, but it's not out of the question that the Red Sox, in listening to offers on Duran, have wanted to prepare Anthony for the big-league leadoff spot in the event of a Duran trade. Anthony hit leadoff throughout his minor-league career, so the position is not new to him. Unsurprisingly, he's had little trouble with it, going 6-for-15 since the move, and his presence would make a tough decision about trading Duran slightly easier for the Red Sox. Adding a backup catcher has been a tertiary priority for the Red Sox, behind the club's desire to add pitching and at first base. Impending free-agent Christian Vázquez is a veteran catcher who would bolster the club's defense, though he offers little on offense. Vázquez spent eight seasons in Boston but was traded in 2022 at the deadline to the Houston Astros in exchange for Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu, Boston's current starting right fielder. A reunion, with Vázquez serving as backup for rookie starting catcher Carlos Narváez, could work, though one evaluator noted there hasn't been much traction on that front. Boston's backup catcher, Connor Wong, is amid a rough season, hitting just .165 with a .434 OPS, though Vázquez, at .185 with a .519 OPS, isn't hitting much better. 'He has struggled offensively, and he hasn't played much,' Cora said when asked generally about Vázquez. 'He's a veteran guy — been there, done that — and has two World Series rings. I don't know where (the Twins are) at in that respect, but where he's at contract-wise probably makes sense for teams.' Crochet was set to make his next start Friday at home against Houston, but he will be pushed back to Monday or Tuesday to give him a few extra days of recovery. At 141 1/3 innings, Crochet leads the majors but is also just five innings shy of his career high in innings from last year. In the second half of last season, which marked his first year as a starter and first year back from Tommy John surgery, Chicago limited Crochet to four-inning starts. Advertisement The Red Sox do not plan to implement any kind of restriction, but they'll build in periodic rest days. At the end of May, Crochet was put on an 85-pitch count in one start but told the team if it wanted to monitor his workload at various points, he'd prefer a few extra days' rest rather than a shorter start, acknowledging that those starts tax the bullpen. With a few extra days' rest and the off day Thursday, every other starter will work on normal rest rather than get an extra day. 'I feel guilty doing it to the guys,' Crochet said. 'But that's what we're all here for. We're here to pick each other up and pull for one another.' Crochet will continually adjust his workload between starts to ensure he's strong down the stretch. 'We viewed this as a good time to kind of catch my breath a little bit,' Crochet said. 'Not really a deload, but a little bit in that sense. I kind of knew throughout the season that we would try to find that rest for me if we could.' Even with his innings climbing, Crochet said, at this point in the season, he feels better than expected. He's uncertain how often the team will work in periodic extra rest for him but noted it will depend on where the team stands in the playoff hunt. 'Before we kind of really get in the heat of August and September and while off days are still packed, we're still kind of able to do this without throwing everyone else off-schedule,' he said. Meanwhile, Kyle Harrison, acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, is in line to start at Triple A on Friday, and a team source said he is an option to be recalled to make his first start for the Red Sox. Harrison has a 4.56 ERA in eight games and four starts, but he has a 2.03 ERA in his last four starts. Walker Buehler is in line to pitch Saturday, and Lucas Giolito on Sunday. (Photo of Jarren Duran: Bruce Kluckhohn / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
ESPN names ‘best fits' for Red Sox ahead of MLB trade deadline
The MLB trade deadline is 10 days away and the Boston Red Sox have made it clear they want to bolster their roster. How they end up doing that remains unclear, but ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel tabbed eight players as 'best fits' for Boston. Here are the candidates: No. 4: Sandy Alcantara, starting pitcher for Miami Marlins (No. 3 last time) No. 8: Kris Bubic, starting pitcher for Kansas City Royals (new) No. 11: Mitch Keller, starting pitcher for Pittsburgh Pirates No. 13: Merrill Kelly, starting pitcher for Arizona Diamondbacks No. 14: Josh Naylor, first baseman for Arizona Diamondbacks No. 15: Ryan O'Hearn, first baseman for Baltimore Orioles No. 17: Taj Bradley, starting pitcher for Tampa Bay Rays No. 18: Edward Cabrera, starting pitcher for Miami Marlins The Red Sox could certainly be in the market for a first baseman after Triston Casas suffered a ruptured patellar tendon that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The corner position has been an issue since Casas' injury between lack of depth and Rafael Devers' — who was ultimately traded to the San Francisco Giants — unwillingness to move to first. And while Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro have filled in fine at first since Casas' injury, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the Red Sox will be "open-minded about the opportunities to bring in a bat that can play first base." The Red Sox would also benefit from adding pitching helping — both starters and relievers after losing Hunter Dobbins for the year due to a torn ACL and Tanner Houck remaining on the injured list after his rehab assignment. Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello have shown signs of improvement, but starters not named Garrett Crochet have struggled to find a consistent groove. Boston is in a Wild Card position and is looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021. It's an important deadline for Breslow, who's been adamant about improving the team come the July 31 deadline. More Red Sox coverage Could Red Sox land starting pitcher from Diamondbacks? MLB insider weighs in In Red Sox lineup, Masataka Yoshida the odd man out vs. Phillies ace Monday night Ex-Red Sox pitcher called up by Royals, will pitch for 14th MLB team (report) Red Sox outfielder ranked No. 3 on ESPN trade candidates list Ex-Red Sox catcher, 2018 World Series champion added to Braves roster Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox starter not ready to say ‘I'm back' after great outing, but pushing to keep spot ahead of trade deadline
PHILADELPHIA — With next week's trade deadline approaching — and the Red Sox expected to upgrade their roster — it's fair to assume some players on the current roster could find themselves in different roles by the time the calendar flips to August. On Monday, Walker Buehler took a step toward staking his case that he should remain in Boston's rotation no matter who Craig Breslow brings in to fortify it. The Red Sox are confident in a top three of Garrett Crochet, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello but are looking for a rotation addition to fortify a group that will be without Hunter Dobbins and, most likely, Tanner Houck, for the stretch run. Right now, Buehler and rookie Richard Fitts have the final two spots. And Buehler, who posted his best outing in months Monday with seven strong innings against the Phillies, intends on putting up a fight to keep his turn every five days. 'I keep seeing all this stuff about guys starting playoff games. At this point, I'm not a guy that can do that,' said Buehler, who entered the outing with a 6.12 ERA in 16 starts. 'My whole career, that's what I've done and done really well. I think that's the goal, to stay in that conversation to start playoff games when we get there.' After a horrific June in which Buehler posted an 11.07 ERA and recorded an out in the fifth inning just once, the Red Sox decided to keep him in the rotation and hope the between-starts work he was doing would manifest on the mound. It did, first in a five-inning outing against the Nationals on July 5, then with six strong inning against Tampa Bay on July 10. Buehler's biggest step forward, though, came Monday at Citizens Bank Park after an 11-day layoff that included a visit to the Maven Baseball Lab, a biomechanics center in Atlanta. 'I've been talking to some biomechanic people, a couple different ones,' Buehler said. 'Went to a place that specializes that in Atlanta. To be honest with you, just having different conversations with different people will spark things. I found a couple new cues that make everything feel a little bit more normal. Now it's just honing that in with a little more violence. Facing a potent Phillies team — and lined up against ace Zack Wheeler — Buehler didn't cower, needing an efficient 89 pitches to get through seven innings for the first time since April. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out four and walking one. Buehler threw 61 of his 89 pitches (68.5%) for strikes. 'The stuff was really good,' said manager Alex Cora. 'He was throwing strikes, he was ahead of hitters and he was able to put them away. That was a good performance. 'We talked about it before the All-Star break that he was getting close. He did a lot of good things on the All-Star break to continue to keep momentum and today, that was a great outing against a good offensive club.' Handed a 1-0 lead when Jarren Duran led off the game with a solo homer off Wheeler, Buehler carved his way through consistent Phillies traffic. He got inning-ending double plays in the second and third before Philadelphia put together three hits and took the lead in the fourth. The righty then retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced and left with a no-decision in a game the Sox lost, 3-2, on a catcher's interference call in the 10th inning. Being able to keep things from spiraling was key for Buehler, who said his arm isn't where it usually is at this point in the season because his struggles — and an injured list stint in late April and early May — have put him behind. 'My last three have been a big improvement on the six or eight before that. I feel like I'm on the right track,' he said. 'This one in particular, I felt a lot more normal. When I threw the ball, it was in the zone, regardless of what I was trying to do with it. 'The way I was brought up in in this game and how I learned growing up was that if you don't have your best stuff, you try to get the ball on the ground and eat innings and get through games. I felt like tonight was as good as my delivery has been but my arm's a little bit behind that. It's not like I went and punched 10.' The Red Sox have been pleased with Buehler's pitch mix all season and the ex-Dodger used all seven of his offerings to keep the Phillies off balance Monday. His fastball averaged 94.1 mph and he threw his slider 30 times. 'The stuff, even before the last three, we always thought the stuff was good,' said Cora. 'It was just a matter of making adjustments and he's getting closer to the strike zone now. His pitches are all competitive.' Buehler feels like he's still going through a bit of an adjustment period after making drastic changes to his delivery and mechanics in an attempt to get out of his rut. But he is able to take some solace in the fact he's getting results — including a 3.00 ERA in 19 July innings — while the work is still ongoing. 'Definitely positive, but I don't think this was the best game of my career or anything like that,' he said. 'A positive step forward, but not the end all and be all. 'Definitely, it's one of those teams where if you threw the ball well, you knew you threw the ball well. It's a big thing for me, internal, but at the end of the day, I had 16 or 17 that weren't what I want. I'm not gonna lay everything down and say, 'I'm back' after one. But it definitely feels good for me personally.' Buehler, of course, isn't happy with the fact he owns a 5.72 ERA through 17 outings this season. But the Red Sox, as a club, have weathered those struggles to be in contention with two months to go. A solid second half — and potentially some playoff contributions — would go a long way toward salvaging the one-year, $21.05 million deal the Red Sox handed Buehler in December. 'We're gonna need this guy,' said catcher Carlos Narváez. BETTING: The Red Sox +1.5 runline is listed at -108 on DraftKings for Tuesday's game versus Philadelphia. If you're curious about how to bet on sports, visit our Massachusetts sports betting guide for beginners. More Red Sox coverage With strike looming, Fenway concession workers have Red Sox players' support Red Sox question MLB rule after becoming second team since 1920 to lose in 'really weird' way Red Sox reactions: Walker Buehler's solid night spoiled as Boston loses on bizarre walk-off Red Sox sign first-round pick for $5 million, plus a few other top draft picks Alex Cora explains why Red Sox shut down Tanner Houck (and gives other injury updates) Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Tanner Houck setback a reminder Red Sox need rotation help entering trade deadline
CHICAGO — With the trade deadline looming a week from Thursday, the Boston Red Sox have shown their potential as a playoff contender but just as often have shown their flaws. How — or perhaps with whom — chief baseball officer Craig Breslow remedies the club's situation over the next 10 days is the obvious question as baseball's many contending teams jockey for the best available players. Advertisement Boston's offense has looked lethargic coming out of the break, as evidenced by one run scored through its first two games in the second half, but Breslow has said fortifying the rotation will be a priority, and Saturday offered more reason toward that end. Before a 6-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs, manager Alex Cora revealed that Tanner Houck suffered a setback at the end of his rehab assignment from a flexor pronator strain, an injury that has kept him out since May 14. 'We pulled him off the rehab assignment, and we're going to keep him on the IL,' Cora said. 'The trainers are working on him in Boston, and we'll have more information in the upcoming days.' Houck had begun a rehab assignment but gave up 10 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings, though just one earned run in his most recent 9 1/3 innings over two starts. Though he hadn't been part of the rotation mix for the past two months, his return would have offered more depth to the team's rapidly thinning rotation ranks. Nine of the 10 starters in the rotation mix to start the year have seen time on the injured list. Garrett Crochet, the lone healthy starter this season, is 17 1/3 innings away from a career high in innings pitched. Crochet will start Sunday against the Cubs, with a few built-in days off following the break, after a complete-game shutout during his final start of the first half eight days ago. Meanwhile, the Red Sox lost Hunter Dobbins for the season with an ACL tear just before the break and Kutter Crawford to wrist surgery a couple of weeks prior. Patrick Sandoval, who signed with the Red Sox in the offseason as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, was expected to be ready at some point in the second half but still hasn't begun a rehab assignment. In Triple-A Worcester, Cooper Criswell and Kyle Harrison, acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, remain options. Advertisement Behind Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have become the de facto Nos. 2 and 3 starters. Saturday, the Cubs pounded Bello early with back-to-back homers in the first inning and added a sacrifice fly in the third, making it 3-0, before Bello settled into a rhythm and made his eighth straight quality start of the season. Bello entered the break with a 2.69 ERA over his previous 10 starts after starting the year on the IL with shoulder inflammation and struggling through the first month. 'I told him today, the bad (starts) are those — six innings, three runs — (and he still) gave us a chance to win the game,' Cora said. And yet, the Red Sox know they need more pitching. Internally, the Red Sox are seeking a No. 2 starter, but balancing their desires with what they're willing to give up in a seller's market will be challenging. There is too much parity in the AL for the Red Sox to pass on improving their roster, but that also means the buyers outweigh the sellers and the cost for pitching will be high. The Minnesota Twins' Joe Ryan has been the pie-in-the-sky name floated as a target for many teams. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.72 ERA through 18 starts and is under control through 2027. But the Twins likely won't part with him easily. The Pittsburgh Pirates' Mitch Keller, who has a 3.48 ERA through 20 starts and is under control through 2028, offers the same issue of cost. Other controllable starters, such as the Miami Marlins' Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara, haven't been as dominant but would still come with a high price tag. Controllable starters are almost always the preference, but as Breslow holds on to a 'future is now' mindset, adding rental starters might end up being the move. As it is, the Red Sox have their own cache of controllable starters, with Crochet signed through 2031 and Bello through 2029. Dobbins and Richard Fitts are in their first full year of service time. Harrison will eventually be in Boston's rotation mix and won't be a free agent until after the 2029 season. Advertisement That makes targeting starters who will enter free agency this winter more palatable and perhaps less expensive (trade package-wise) than those under control, like Ryan and Keller. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are two pending free agents who could fit the Red Sox. Gallen was a Cy Young finalist and All-Star two years ago, though he is having a tough season with a 5.40 ERA. Kelly is amid one of his better seasons with a 3.34 ERA through 20 starts. Both pitchers have postseason experience from the 2023 World Series run. The Kansas City Royals are expected to trade veteran starter Seth Lugo, a free agent this offseason, who has a 2.94 ERA in 18 starts. He pitched well for the Royals in the postseason last year and has been tied to the Red Sox previously. There are other free-agent starters, like Andrew Heaney, Michael Soroka and Nick Martinez, but none fit the No. 2 starter profile to slide in ahead of Bello and Giolito. It's possible the Red Sox will pursue bolstering the rotation with any starter, but the asking price will be, as usual, the determining factor. With moves likely to pick up over the next week or so, the pitching picture figures to gain more clarity soon as the deadline approaches.
