It's Time for the Red Sox to Ignore the Trade Deadline Sell-Off Noise

The Boston Red Sox are starting to look like a team that should buy, rather than subtracting.

Jul 5, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) throws in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One thing that is true about Major League Baseball is that things can change at the drop of a hat.

Two weeks ago, the Boston Red Sox looked like their season was over. The Red Sox dropped two out of three games against the Colorado Rockies and fell to 32-46 in the process. That was rock bottom. But things are different now. Boston has won nine out of its last 11 games and is four games out of an American League Wild Card spot, despite being seven games below .500 at 41-48. The Red Sox have been a .500 team exactly since Chad Tracy took over as the team's interim manager. Two weeks ago, the Red Sox's season seemed like it was over. Today, Boston is starting to look like a team that could push for a playoff spot.

Because of that, the conversation should shift. There are 26 days left to go until the trade deadline and we should be starting to think about Boston as a team that could buy, especially because Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has made it clear over and over how much faith he has in this roster. Plus, Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer should all be back at some point.

The Red Sox Sale Speculation Should Calm Down

Jul 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This team should get even better and they are playing their best baseball of the year right now. Across the league, there still is speculation about various moves, but it should slow down on the selling front. On Wednesday, The Athletic's Jim Bowden joined "Foul Territory" and made the case for the Chicago White Sox to go after Aroldis Chapman and maybe even Sonny Gray.

"If the Red Sox sell, go get Aroldis Chapman," Bowden said about the White Sox. "I absolutely love that fit for the Chicago White Sox. Maybe you make the deal bigger and get Sonny Gray, too. I would love that fit for Chicago. But the White Sox aren't going anywhere. They're a really fun team to watch. They have a legitimate chance of winning the division.

If the Red Sox keep playing as they have over the last few weeks, there would be no reason to even think of a move like this. Sure, Chapman and Gray could make sense for a pitcher-needy team, like Chicago, but they also both make sense for Boston.

The Red Sox have 73 games left this season. That's enough time to inch back to .500 if they play as they have over the last two weeks. If the wheels fall off and Boston struggles like it did across the first few months of the season, then it makes sense to come back to the idea of selling. But right now, the noise should be about adding a piece or two, especially a right-handed bat.