Red Sox's Right-Handed Bat Pursuit Gets Reality Check From Insiders

As the trade deadline draws rapidly closer, the Boston Red Sox have emerged as buyers, barring a losing streak as remarkable as their recent winning streak.

Entering Wednesday night at 52-48, the Red Sox controlled their destiny in as weak a year for the American League as we've seen in recent memory. But there was little doubt that the roster could stand to be fortified at the deadline, with a high-impact right-handed bat standing out as the priority.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox aren't alone in that pursuit. To hear from ESPN insiders Buster Olney and Jeff Passan, the odds of landing that perfect bat would seem to be fairly long for Boston with just a week and a half until the deadline arrives.

What insiders wrote about right-handed bat markets

Apr 14, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Passan and Olney were in agreement that the single scarcest commodity at this deadline would be right-handed bats, with the Red Sox numbering among several prospective contenders who could really use help.

"The (Seattle) Mariners, (New York) Yankees, (Philadelphia) Phillies, Red Sox, (Atlanta) Braves and (Los Angeles) Dodgers could all use a right-handed hitter (for L.A., a right-handed-hitting catcher, with the uncertainty about Will Smith's health), but even as more teams drop out of contention, it doesn't appear many options will emerge," wrote Olney.

Though Olney theorized that the Houston Astros could shake up the market by dangling the likes of Isaac Paredes (Red Sox fans have heard about him a good few times), Passan didn't quite feed into that notion.

"So many of the potential players worth targeting (Byron Buxton, Shea Langeliers, Hunter Goodman, Willson Contreras, Pena, Paredes) are, at the moment, available only for an outlandish return," Passan wrote. "Should the Angels decide to deal Zach Neto, that would at least bring one impact type to the party. But as it stands now, there is not a single impactful right-handed bat who is certain to move by Aug. 3."

Though it's probably not the case, Passan almost suggested there that the Red Sox were as likely to get rid of their biggest right-handed bat in Contreras as they were to pick up a Goodman type. That's just how scarce this market is setting up to be.

And the last sobering thought we'll bring up: If there's a bidding war for a single bat, last year's deadline taught us that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow might just be a little too cautious to make the deal.

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