The Red Sox have been linked to a handful of the top players on the market ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.
By Conor Roche
The Red Sox made their first notable addition ahead of the trade deadline on Friday, reacquiring James Paxton in a trade with the Dodgers. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow suggested that the team could make another move.
With Tuesday’s trade deadline just days away, the Red Sox don’t have much time to make another splash. However, they have been linked to a handful of names on the trade market.
Ahead of the deadline, Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, and Athletics left fielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker have been among the top names rumored to be possibly get traded.
Advertisem*nt:
Of those four players, the Red Sox have the best betting odds to land Rooker and Kikuchi. The Red Sox have +550 odds to be the team Rooker is on following the trade deadline at DraftKings Sportsbook, which is the third-best odds. They only trail the Athletics (+380) and Mariners (+400).
Rooker would give the Red Sox much-needed help on the right side of the plate in the middle of their lineup. The 29-year-old is in the midst of a career year, hitting .288 with a .948 OPS to go with 25 homers and 72 RBIs. If the Red Sox were to trade for Rooker, he’d ideally become their primary designated hitter, a role he’s had in Oakland for much of the last two years.
As Rooker is under team control through the end of the 2027 season, the Athletics might not be keen on moving him. In fact, Oakland has told teams it’s reluctant to move Rooker ahead of the deadline, the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman reported Saturday.
Kikuchi, meanwhile, seems far more likely to be traded than Rooker. The lefty had his final start ahead of the deadline on Friday, sharing an emotional moment with Blue Jays fans when he left the mound at Rogers Center.
Advertisem*nt:
The Red Sox have +650 odds to be the team Kikuchi is on following the deadline at DraftKings Sportsbook. Those odds are the seventh-best, but they aren’t too far behind the Orioles, who have the best odds at +450.
Kikuchi is in the midst of an OK season for the Blue Jays. He’s 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA this season, though his 3.64 FIP (fielding independent pitching) suggests that he’s been a bit unlucky.
More importantly, Kikuchi has been reliable to stay on the mound, pitching 115 2/3 innings over an MLB-best 22 starts. He’d also give the Red Sox’ rotation another lefty, something they lacked prior to the trade for Paxton.
The 33-year-old Kikuchi is in the final season of a three-year, $36 million contract he signed to join the Blue Jays in 2022. So, the price to get him would likely be far less than it would be to acquire a pitcher like Skubal.
Speaking of Skubal, the Red Sox are a bit more of a longshot to land him. Even though they’re tied for the fifth-best odds to be the team Skubal pitchers for after the deadline, they’re at +2000 at DraftKings. Skubal sticking with the Tigers is listed at -310.
It’s been widely speculated that Skubal is unlikely to be moved ahead of the trade deadline. The 27-year-old is still under team control for two more years and has arguably been the best pitcher in the American since his return from injury in the middle of last season. He’s 11-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 2024.
Advertisem*nt:
Finally, the Red Sox are also a bit of a longshot to get Crochet, too. Their +1200 odds to be the team Crochet pitches for following the trade deadline are the seventh-best at DraftKings. The White Sox are the favorite to be the team Crochet pitchers for after the deadline at +110.
Crochet has been stellar for the White Sox this season, going 6-7 with a 3.07 ERA and a MLB-best 157 strikeouts. The 25-year-old can’t become a free agent until the end of the 2026 season, but he reportedly wants an extension ahead of the playoffs if he’s traded.
Of course, Rooker, Kikuchi, Skubal, and Crochet aren’t the only names on the trade market ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. The Red Sox have also been linked to a handful of other players around the league, like Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon.
But it seems like they’ll have to make a move to keep up with their division rivals. The Orioles acquired pitcher Zach Eflin from the Rays on Friday and the Yankees are reportedly trading for second baseman/outfielder Jazz Chisholm.
Sign up for Red Sox updates⚾
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during baseball season.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.
