The season has officially entered its final month and the Boston Red Sox are firmly in the playoff picture. They have one more month to fight for higer postseason standing and they might get just lucky enough to overtake the New York Yankees in the top Wild Card spot.
Boston would be better equipped to do so with its rotation in better shape. Sonny Gray is losing steam in the final weeks of the season which forced the Red Sox to delay his September 1 start to get him extra rest. Ranger Suarez hasn't looked the same since Boston activated him from the injured list on July 26 (5.01 ERA in his last seven starts) (subscription required). Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle are rookies with no postseason experience and Patrick Sandoval is fresh off a nearly two-year recovery from UCL surgery.
Adding another starter at the trade deadline would've brought in helpful rotation depth, especially after trading Connelly Early and Tyler Uberstine. The Sox are short on right-handers, in particular, as Gray is the only righty in their rotation. These two pitchers would've made great reinforcements for the tiring Red Sox pitching staff.
2 starters the Red Sox wish they landed at the trade deadline as rotation loses steam
José Soriano
The last-place Toronto Blue Jays shocked some baseball fans when they went big to trade for former Los Angeles Angels pitcher José Soriano. The right-hander has two more years of control on his contract after 2026, so the Jays were also thinking about their future with this deal. That also means he would've been quite an investment for Boston, which was formerly stacked with top pitching prospects.
The investment might've been worth it for the Sox, however. Soriano has been consistent over his career to the tune of a 3.75 ERA over four seasons, including a rookie year as a reliever. He's clocked a 3.45 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 149 strikeouts and 67 walks over 151.1 innings between the Halos and Jays this season. His lower-quartile walk rate leaves something to be desired, but he still manages to limit damage.
Clay Holmes
Before the 2025 season, Clay Holmes signed a three-year, $38 million deal with the New York Mets. Red Sox fans might know him best from his time as the New York Yankees' closer — which didn't go so well — but the Mets converted him back into a starter. He's thrived in the Chicago Cubs' rotation following the trade deadline.
Holmes has logged a 2.09 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 81.2 innings this year. He's already improved since leaving the seriously underwhelming Mets, allowing just five runs on 20 hits over 29 frames with Chicago.
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