Boston Adds Bullpen Help, Not A Shortstop, At the Deadline
Boston, MA. - When the Red Sox shipped Wilyer Abreu to Seattle for George Kirby a week before the deadline, many around the league assumed a corresponding move was coming to stabilize the shortstop position.
Instead, Boston chose to stand pat. According to sources close to special advisor Kyle Red, the club will finish the season with Trevor Story and David Hamilton in a platoon. The decision stems from Story’s defensive reliability and signs of improved plate discipline since being re-inserted into the lineup.
“Obviously the bat isn’t what it used to be in Colorado,” one source said. “But he’s still a plus defender and can run. There wasn’t much out there without selling the farm, especially after Bo Bichette’s injury pulled him off the block. In their eyes, Story earned the chance to finish the year.”
While shortstop remained untouched, Boston made two pitching-related moves.
First, the Red Sox moved on from Walker Buehler, who had been relegated to the bullpen after Kirby’s arrival. Buehler returns to the Dodgers, who are reeling from injuries to Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, and Landon Knack.
“Walker is a guy the Dodgers know and trust,” an NL scout said. “He’s a stopgap who didn’t cost more than a fringe prospect.”
Boston received 20-year-old outfielder Eduardo Quintero, who will report to Triple-A Worcester.
The more significant addition came in the bullpen, where Boston landed José Leclerc from Oakland. Once one of the most sought-after relievers on the market, Leclerc’s recent struggles—including a pair of blow-up outings in July—cooled his value.
His ERA sits at 4.91, but the Red Sox believe he can still serve as a dependable bridge between their rotation and Aroldis Chapman. Leclerc will hit free agency this winter, limiting Boston’s cost.
In return, the A’s acquired lefty Connelly Early, a live-armed but erratic prospect, and corner infielder Blaze Jordan, a former top prospect whose power hasn’t translated against advanced pitching.
While Boston’s activity centered on pitching depth, the San Francisco Giants made the splashiest move of the deadline, acquiring Jacob Wilson from Oakland in a surprise blockbuster.
Wilson, 22, is still in his rookie-scale contract and has just over a year of service time, making the timing puzzling for some evaluators.
“It’s a sell-high play,” one AL executive said. “Oakland doesn’t expect to contend for years, and by then Wilson would be approaching a payday with no guarantee of continued production. They preferred three prospects who could be big-league ready in their next window.”
The A’s received first baseman Bryce Eldridge, shortstop Josuor Gonzalez, and left-hander Joe Whitman—a trio expected to help accelerate their next rebuild cycle.
Full Transaction List
7/31 - Boston trades SP Walker Buehler to Los Angeles (N) for CF Eduardo Quintero
7/31 - Boston trades SP Connelly Early and 1B Blaze Jordan to Oakland for RP Jose Leclerc
7/30 - San Francisco trades 1B Bryce Eldridge, SS Josuar Gonzalez, and SP Joe Whitman to Oakland for SS Jacob Wilson
7/30 - San Diego trades SP Henry Baez and C Brandon Valenzuela to St. Louis for LF Lars Nootbar
7/30 - Oakland trades 1B Tyler Soderstorm to Chicago (N) for SPB Brandon Birdsell
7/30 - New York (N) trades CF Carson Benge and 1B Ryan Clifford to New York (A) for C Austin Wells
7/25 - Chicago (A) trades 1B Andrew Vaughn to Chicago (N) for SP Jaxon Wiggins
7/24 - Boston trades RF Wilyer Abreu and SP Lucas Giolioto to Seattle for SP George Kirby and RF Victor Robles
7/21 - Texas acquired CP Kyle Finnegan from Washington for SP Mitch Bratt and C Daneurys De La Cruz
7/20 - Texas acquired C Pedro Pages from St. Louis for SP Kohl Drake, 3B Dustin Harris, and CF Dylan Dreilling
7/19 - Houston acquired P TJ McFarland from Oakland for RF Colin Barber and 2B Pascanel Ferreras
7/18 - Chicago (N) acquired 3B Miguel Vargas from Chicago (A) for SS Cristian Hernandez and SP Brody McCullough
7/17 - Minnesota acquired 1B Willson Contreras from St. Louis for SP Zebby Matthews andLF Austin Martin
7/11 - Atlanta traded RP Rolddy Munoz, LF Stephen Paolini, and SS Jose Devers to Pittsburgh for SP Mitch Keller.
7/7 - New York (A) traded Jasson Dominguez to Cleveland for RF Chase DeLauter
7/5 - Philadelphia traded 2B Devin Saltiban to Washington for SP Trevor Williams
7/4 - Milwaukee traded CF Braylon Payne to Colorado for 3B Ryan McMahon
7/4 - Philadelphia traded RF Griffin Burkholder and RP Michael Mercado to Oakland for LF Brent Rooker
7/3 - Baltimore traded C Creed Williams, 3B Max Wagner, and RP Roasny Contreras to Washington for 2B Luis Garcia
7/1 - Detroit traded CF Max Clark to Los Angeles (A) for SS Christian Moore
6/30 - Atlanta traded 3B David McCabe to San Francisco for RP Lou Trivino
6/29 - Los Angeles (N) traded SP Bobby Miller to Toronto for SS Josh Kasevich
6/23 - Pittsburgh traded C Geovanny Planchart to Oakland for LF Seth Brown
6/21 - Milwaukee traded SS Cooper Pratt to Miami for SP Sandy Alcantra
6/13 - Milwaukee traded 3B Luke Adams to Oakland for C Shea Langeliers
6/6 - Detroit traded C Eric Haase to Milwaukee for 2B Max Anderson
