Red Sox, Caleb Durbin Nail Messaging on Trade Deadline Uncertainty

Can't worry about all that if you're playing the games

Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox have made things a lot more complicated for their front office with their play on the field over the last two weeks.

Boston capped off a 9-0 road trip on Sunday with a dramatic come-from-behind win over the New York Mets, coming from 14 games under .500 on June 24 to 46-48 as the All-Star break arrives. That leaves the Sox just half a game behind the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins for the last wild card spot in a weak American League.

What once seemed destined to become a trade deadline fire sale has now become a significantly more complicated decision. But from the players' perspective, the only way to influence that decision is to keep performing.

Red Sox seem to have right attitude about buy/sell decision

Jul 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock (22) reacts after the final out in the tenth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Caleb Durbin, who was traded himself only five months ago, said what every Red Sox player needs to as he headed out for the All-Star break. Whatever happens at the trade deadline could still easily be influenced by how he and his team play in the 2 1/2 weeks after the break.

“We’re not thinking about that stuff,” Durbin said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “That’s not in our hands. If we were thinking about that stuff, our mind would be on the wrong thing, I think. We’re just focused on playing good baseball.”

Garrett Whitlock, a star reliever who could theoretically be traded if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow conducted a fire sale, highlighted how the Red Sox's awful first three months put them behind the 8-ball.

"It’s one of those things where we’re all happy about it, but we know when we get back, we’ve got more work to do," Whitlock said, per Cotillo. “It’s our own fault for digging ourselves in the hole that we did, so we can’t just rest on, ‘OK, we had a nice little run.’”

A nine-game winning streak in July is a nice lift, but it's far from a guarantee that this season ends up where the Red Sox wanted it. It's gotten hard to imagine a full-scale sell-off at this point, but there's no reason for the players to assume they've suddenly made believers of Breslow and his staff.