With 5 Weeks to Go, Red Sox Need a Miracle to Avoid Summer Sell-Off

There won't be a team more interesting than the Boston Red Sox in the final few weeks before the trade deadline.

May 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove rests on the railing by the dugout prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

There are just 35 days left to go until the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline and the Boston Red Sox are certainly going to be fascinating to follow until then.

In a season full of surprises in the American League, the Red Sox have been one of the biggest shockers. There are just four teams in the American League above .500 right now and yet Boston has been one of the biggest surprises of the season because it entered the 2026 season expecting to be a contender. The Red Sox have been towards the bottom of the standings. So much so that MassLive.com's Sean McAdam shared over the weekend that he spoke to an anonymous major league executive who noted that they haven't heard rumblings about Boston potentially looking to sell.

It's been a down year, but Boston gave the fanbase some hope over the weekend as it swept the New York Yankees in a four-game series. Now, the Red Sox are 36-46 on the season with five weeks to go until the deadline. While this is the case, the Yankees series hasn't changed the perception of the club just yet. On Monday, The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey noted that the idea of selling is "all but assured" unless the Red Sox can put together a "dramatic turnaround."

The Red Sox Still Look Like Potential Sellers With 5 Weeks To Go

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"Again barring a dramatic turnaround, Boston’s path to selling is almost all but assured," McCaffrey wrote. "The Red Sox would have to win two-thirds of their remaining games to even scratch their way into wild-card contention. A long winning streak, the returns of Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony and the falling off of some wild-card contenders would all have to happen for the Red Sox to secure a spot."

The Red Sox need a miracle right now. Beating the Yankees in four straight games hopefully could be the beginning of one. But Boston needs more. One thing that is going for the Red Sox is the fact that they are somehow just 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. But there are five teams ahead of Boston on the outside looking in on the playoff race. If the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs, they need to jump ahead of all five of those teams, plus one of the three teams that currently holds a Wild Card spot. Doing so without the club's No. 1 starter and No. 1 offensive weapon. Plus, losing guys like Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer doesn't make things easy. The four-game sweep over New York was great, but Boston needs more.

If the Red Sox sell, the pieces who would make the most sense to move are Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray. Chapman has a 2.19 ERA in 26 total appearances this season with 16 saves and would be the best potential reliever available. If Gray becomes available, he would bring a massive haul back, even with a $30 million mutual option and $10 million buyout beyond the 2026 season.

Gray has been everything Boston could've hoped for. He's leading the American League with nine wins and has a 2.69 ERA and a 75-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 83 2/3 innings pitched. In 2024, Gray finished the season with 1.6 wins above replacement with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2025, he finished the season with 1.3 wins above replacement. So far this season, he already has 2.0 wins above replacement. Simply put, Gray has been incredible for Boston so far this season.

Despite the fact that it has been a hard season in Boston, the club has intriguing trade chips, to say the least. Beyond Gray and Chapman, Jarren Duran and Patrick Sandoval could be good options to try to flip.

The Red Sox don't need to do anything hasty. Right now, they're still trending towards selling, which should be the case with the record as it currently stands. But there are five weeks left to turn the season around and the rotation is doing its best to try to right the ship. It's certainly going to be interesting to see if the Red Sox can get hot.