Red Sox Revival Turns MLB Trade Deadline Upside Down

An unlikely and historic turnaround by the Red Sox has not only resuscitated the team’s season, but promises to upend the entire MLB trade deadline.

Boston won its 14th straight game on Monday, beating a Baltimore team that had come into Fenway Park on its own seven-game winning streak. For the Red Sox, though, the latest run is their longest winning streak since 1946. Another win Tuesday night will match that franchise record set 80 years ago. 

What makes all that so improbable is the state of the Red Sox less than a month ago. On June 24, Boston fell to a 32–46 record, had the worst mark in the American League, and was less than two months removed from the firing of former manager Alex Cora—who had led Boston to a World Series title in 2018—and five assistant coaches.

Since that late June low, however, the Red Sox have won 19 of 21 games, outscored their opponents by a 112-59 margin, and have risen to the third AL Wild Card spot. Prior chants of “Sell the team!” directed at club owner Fenway Sports Group have also quieted, and the Red Sox are now one of just seven MLB clubs to have improved their home attendance by at least 1,000 people per game. The Boston run has also included sweeps over contending teams such as the Yankees, Rays, and White Sox. 

“I can’t imagine it being more electric [on Tuesday] than [Monday], but it might be,” said Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin, who hit a tie-breaking homer to fuel Monday’s win. “We’ll see. Tonight was awesome, though. I can’t speak for anyone else. We haven’t really talked about it, but yeah, I want to make history here.”

A Different Trade Deadline

The Red Sox’ meteoric rise under interim manager Chad Tracy, as a result, will almost certainly reshape an already muddled MLB trade deadline, set for Aug. 3, and the team has redefined a second half of the season just unfolding. Many other teams are still assessing whether they will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, thanks to a crowded playoff chase, but before this run, the Red Sox had been seen as a likely seller.

Moreover, Boston has several players who were previously seen around the league as some of the leading acquisition targets, including starting pitcher and AL Cy Young Award candidate Sonny Gray, first baseman Willson Contreras, and veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman.

Now, those players are more likely to remain in Boston for the stretch run.

“Every day that goes by, we’re getting a little bit more information about not just who we are and what we’re capable of, but also what the outlook appears to be for some of the guys that are hopefully getting healthy,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.