MLB Insider Backtracks Red Sox Criticism After Joe Ryan Update

But... he still added more criticism on top of that

Aug 1, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox haven't lost a game since the trade deadline, but you'd hardly know it, based on the criticism being lobbed in their faces.

Yes, it would have made Red Sox fans breathe a lot easier if Minnesota Twins All-Star Joe Ryan had arrived in a trade. But at the end of the day, this is the team they have moving forward, and this team has played really good baseball of late.

But there are also legitimate arguments to be made that Boston should have used their time and resources more wisely last week. And Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was one of the most vocal critics in the aftermath of the deadline.

After Rosenthal lambasted the Red Sox in the immediate aftermath of the deadline for making a "feeble at best" effort to trade for Ryan, he walked his comments back on Tuesday slightly, due to multiple reports that the Red Sox actually did come fairly close.

"All right, I might have been too harsh when I said on my “Fair Territory” show that the Boston Red Sox’s pursuits of Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was “feeble at best” and that they didn’t 'come at (the Twins) hard,'” wrote Rosenthal.

Still, Rosenthal isn't willing to give the Red Sox much credit for trying, especially when he felt they should have been willing to cave into the Twins' demand for either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu, one of their controllable outfielders.

"The Red Sox did not push for Ryan until the final hour. And though it was later reported they made various offers with multiple Top 100 prospects, none of their proposals included a major-league outfielder. And the bottom line is, the Sox did not sufficiently entice the Twins," Rosenthal added.

"If the Twins were going to part with Ryan for three pennant races, it was not unreasonable for them to want one of the Sox’s outfielders, either Jarren Duran (three additional years of control) or Wilyer Abreu (four). And as hot as the Red Sox are, it also would not have been unreasonable for them to make such a deal (the Twins did not even broach the possibility of Roman Anthony)."

Monday night's game, ironically enough, was the ultimate counterargument to Rosenthal's point, as Anthony was scratched moments before the game, and both Duran and Abreu played massive roles in an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals, Boston's sixth win in a row.

Only time will tell whether or not the Red Sox "should" have traded for Ryan (they very well still might this winter). But the notion that giving up Duran or Abreu was the right call is highly questionable.