For five weeks, the Red Sox have played like a team that found a secret weapon. They swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles to add a big exclamation point to their run. Since June 25, the team has won 28 games and lost only 6. A five-game deficit in the American League East results from that scorching run. It is the first time they sit that close since April 21.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has ample motivation to seek reinforcements before time expires, thanks to this winning streak. The Trade Deadline hits on Monday at 6 p.m. ET. While other teams are making huge moves, like sending ace Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers, the Sox are still waiting for their perfect match. Breslow worked the phones all weekend but has not closed a deal yet.
Players Love the Current Vibe
The players on the roster are not worried about the market. They just want to keep winning. Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela hit four homers during the sweep. He told reporters he does not care if new names arrive.
He knows that if a new player shows up, the team will welcome them with open arms. If no one comes, they will keep winning with the group they have right now. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu agrees that the deadline matters, but he trusts the front office to do what is best. “Of course, that’s something that’s very important for the team,” Abreu said. “I think we’re in a good spot right now, so we’ll see what happens.”
Abreu added that the team will just keep playing the way they have been playing. They have won 15 of their last 16 road games. That kind of road success is rare and hard to build. It shows a team that does not fold when the pressure gets high.
The Search for Bats Continues
Breslow thought he had made a big move a week ago. The Nationals were swapped for rookie lefty Connelly Early in exchange for Curtis Mead’s bat. It was a simple 1-for-1 swap that looked like a win. But the plan hit a wall when Mead fractured his left wrist in his second at-bat for Boston.
Whether that fracture mends sufficiently for Mead to play again in 2026 remains uncertain. This bad news means Breslow’s search for bats has gotten much more urgent. Shortstop and catcher are the clearest spots where Boston can add help. They need to fix these spots without breaking the flow of a lineup that finally works.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto is a name that keeps coming up as a possibility. Fans are watching to see if the Sox can pull off a deal for him or someone else. The team has a firm hold on the second AL Wild Card spot. They are a reasonable five games back in the division race. The window to make a move is open, but it will close soon.
Whatever happens, the team is ready to move forward. “We’ll see what happens, and if something does happen, we’ll see how we need to adjust,” Abreu said. The focus now shifts to the next set of games.
