Red Sox Deny 'Nonsense' Roman Anthony–Marcelo Mayer Rift Rumors

Boston Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow cleared the air on the ongoing Marcelo Mayer rumors.

May 17, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Mike Yastrzemski (18) slides into second base against Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox surprised the fanbase a bit ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline by going out and trading shortstop Marcelo Mayer to the San Francisco Giants.

Mayer was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft and seemingly was going to be the shortstop of the future for the organization. Now, he's a member of the San Francisco Giants.

That certainly wasn't the expectation and since then there have been some wild rumors spreading on social media insinuating that there were issues off the field between Mayer and young outfielder Roman Anthony that could've helped lead to the deal. While this is the case, Red Sox fans shouldn't be reading into them right now. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow joined "The Greg Hill Show" on Thursday and completely shut the noise down.

Craig Breslow Shut The Noise Down

Jun 24, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Red Sox short stop Marcelo Mayer (11) celebrates his double in fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think nonsense is a good characterization of that," Breslow said of rumors that there were off-field issues between Mayer and Anthony. There are no issues with Marcelo and Roman off the field. ... There are no issues. There never were any issues. Marcelo and Roman are great guys and very talented and we're doing everything to get back on the field."

What went wrong with Marcelo Mayer? Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow joins! Greg: "There is this nonsense that appears on the social medias... Were there off-field issues with Marcelo? With Roman Anthony?"
Breslow: There are no issues with Marcelo and Roman off the field? #mlb #fyp pic.twitter.com/OIbl2QHPpQ

— WEEI (@WEEI) August 6, 2026

There's no need to read into the Mayer and Anthony conspiracy theories circulating on social media right now. Sometimes, the simplest answer is actually the correct one. From Breslow's comments, it sounds like Boston simply wanted to bolster the bullpen. Erik Miller is a great pickup and the price to get him was Mayer.

Now, it's obviously surprising to see a 23-year-old former No. 4 overall pick get traded for a reliever, but his trade value plummeted. Mayer hasn't been able to stay on the field. When he was on the field this season, he was slashing .220/.282/.312 with a .594 OPS, three homers and 22 RBIs. The upside and potential are there, but he hasn't been able to show it on the field in the majors yet.

When it comes to Miller, the Red Sox got a lefty reliever with three more seasons of team control and a 2.99 career ERA in 149 appearances. That production does cost a pretty penny and that's why Mayer was the guy. In a perfect world, Mayer would've been able to stay healthy and help Boston in the long run. Sometimes things don't work out that way, but that doesn't mean that the weird rumors spreading are true.