4 Potential dark-horse Red Sox trade targets

3 Potential dark-horse trade candidates for the Red Sox

When it comes to buying or selling by the August 2 trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox remain somewhat of a mystery.

On Monday, they dealt Christian Vázquez and Jake Diekman, but also added Reese McGuire and Tommy Pham, so they’re not entirely sellers, but also certainly shouldn’t be considered all-in buyers.

According to FanGraphs, the 52-52 Sox have a 28.3% chance of making the playoffs via Wild Card, far from a sure thing. As such, it’s important to look beyond this season, so not every trade proposal on this list is with a playoff run in mind. The Sox have many expiring contracts after this year, so they have immediate and long-term needs to be met.

These four players and potential deals could be exactly what the doctor ordered to get the clubhouse going again…

Could the Red Sox get Merrill Kelly at the trade deadline?

Ever since the World Series run back in 2018, pitching has been a constant need.  Due to injuries and underperforming, pitching depth is virtually nonexistent. And with nearly every starting pitcher on their roster hitting free agency after this season, the Sox need to start eyeing replacements.

The case for the Sox to pursue a trade for Merrill Kelly is a simple one to make. Aside from the injured Michael Wacha, the Sox don’t have a single starting pitcher on the roster with a sub-four ERA. Kelly, meanwhile, is in the midst of his best year in thus far, with a 2.87 ERA and 7.5 K/9 over 21 starts. He would most likely slot into the one or two-spot in the starting rotation and provide the offense with a significant increase in reliability.

Kelly is under contract thru the 2024 season with a club option for 2025, but his $8M AAV would be significantly cheaper than what Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale are getting paid.