The Boston Red Sox are set to make a serious playoff push down the second half of the 2025 season, thanks in large part to the 10-game win streak they rattled off right before the All-Star break. As a result, they are expected to operate as buyers at the upcoming trade deadline.
Despite their recent success, there are several areas of need the team could look to address over the next couple of weeks. One of those areas is the starting rotation, with the Red Sox being heavily linked to a slew of pitchers who may be on the trade block.
Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan has been the most frequently mentioned name of that bunch. Ryan is enjoying the best season of his career, as he’s got a 9-4 record with a 2.72 ERA and 121 strikeouts so far, which helped him earn his first All-Star selection.
The link to Ryan is no surprise, but Boston continues to get linked to other pitchers. Red Sox insider Alex Speier named Ryan’s Twins teammate, Pablo Lopez, and Taj Bradley of the Tampa Bay Rays as another pair of potential trade targets ahead of the deadline.
“Names like Joe Ryan is coming to the surface as a potential candidate,” The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier said on “310 To Left.” “You wonder if the Twins would also entertain offers for Pablo Lopez.”
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“The Rays I’ve heard are willing to entertain offers for Taj Bradley. They’re a team that needs offense. Would you trade with a division rival and a wild card rival in a surplus for surplus trade?”
Lopez has long been linked to the Red Sox, although it is worth noting he’s currently on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. Prior to that, he was enjoying a strong season, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.82 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 11 starts.
Bradley, on the other hand, is an even more intriguing target since he pitches for one of the Red Sox’s American League East rivals. A former top prospect, Bradley has struggled to find any sort of consistency to begin his career in the majors, as he has a 4.60 ERA through 19 starts this year.
Boston could certainly shore up their starting rotation by trading for one of Ryan, Lopez, or Bradley, but it remains to be seen if they’d be willing to meet the potentially steep asking prices for any of them. For now, the Red Sox remain a team worth keeping tabs on as the deadline draws near.
