So, it didn’t happen. As the clock inched closer to 6 p.m. on Thursday, everybody across the league anticipated Joe Ryan to be traded to the Boston Red Sox. See, the Minnesota Twins‘ star right-hander has been with the franchise since his debut back in 2021, and with a career ERA of 3.70. So this season happens to be the third season of his career in which he has recorded 10+ wins.
The Red Sox are in dire need of a starting rotation fix, and that’s without adding the fact that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has time and again emphasized his intentions of investing in the club. But then, why pivot towards modest additions such as Steven Matz and Dustin May?
It’s the Red Sox’s unwillingness to offer a better exchange for Ryan. As far as what the league sources shared, the deal never materialized. It’s because the Red Sox were not ready to let go of their big league outfielders or their other top prospects like Jhostynxon Garcia.
Naturally, the Twins didn’t see enough of what the Red Sox brought to the table, as revealed by MLB insider Jen McCaffrey from The Athletic. What makes it all baffling is the fact that the Red Sox are overloaded with outfielders. From Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu to Ceddanne Rafaela, the Red Sox have outfielders in abundance.
Let’s also not forget their additional players like Rob Refsnyder, Roman Anthony, and Masataka Yoshida. They could’ve dealt for one and brought in Joe Ryan. However, it was Breslow’s refusal to do so that left the Red Sox’s roster without Ryan’s elite arm.
It all becomes even harder to ignore when you get this — just a week before the All-Star, manager Alex Cora made a remark that will catch you off guard. Here’s the thing: the Red Sox were on a comfortable 10-game winning streak before the ASG 2025.
That’s when Cora was questioned on whether the team will protect itself from falling apart in the upcoming second half. “When teams add and you stay put, other teams get better. It’s not that you got worse. It’s just that other teams took a step forward, and we haven’t done that in a few years here.” For the record, across the past three seasons, the Red Sox’s second half is where things go downhill. After how Breslow tackled the 2025 trade deadline, the Red Sox might have to add another year to the list.
Breslow defended the Red Sox’s approach towards the trade deadline
The Red Sox are currently at 59-51, which places them eight games ahead of .500. And guess what? Their chances of notching a wild-card spot are as low as 53 percent. Yeah, could’ve been more if they had approached the deadline a bit more aggressively.
Even Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic expressed his disappointment with the club in his recent presence at Foul Territory. Breslow made a bold move some time ago by trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
That time, his actions looked calculated and appeared as if he were aiming to compete for the 2025 playoffs. His boldness was barely there when the deadline day arrived. He defended his deadline moves by saying, “We pursued as much as we possibly could.” He believes the club has been playing just fine and is in the best position for the playoffs.
However, neither of the acquisitions was the best. It’s impossible to ignore that Dustin May is coming off his second Tommy John surgery. He has recorded a 4.45 ERA across 18 starts. Whereas Matz doesn’t seem to offer much, as he’s working out of the bullpen.
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