Latest news with #Craig Breslow
Yahoo
3 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
3 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.
