The trade deadline is right around the corner and aside from a surprise in dealing Rafael Devers to San Francisco, the Boston Red Sox have yet to commit to a decisive trade strategy to help run out the remainder of the season.
The Sox were on a tear, winning 10 in a row to head into the All-Star break, and certainly giving Craig Breslow plenty of reasons to go all the way on a buying strategy to push for a playoff spot. After a series loss to the Cubs over the weekend, the Red Sox stand 5.0 games back from first place in the AL East, and just two behind the Yankees.
If Breslow is committed to winning in the present, a long-term commitment to Alex Bregman should be in the works. Adding pitching depth and potentially even a first baseman to add length to the lineup are also important considerations for an executive hoping to set the team up for a winning second half. Trading value is obviously a part of that game, but these players should remain a part of Boston’s long-term plans and be considered totally untouchable.
4 Red Sox players who are absolutely untouchable at the 2025 trade deadline
Ceddanne Rafaela
Trade rumors surrounding Jarren Duran have been swirling for some time. The California native has been consistently linked with a trade to the Padres, and other trade ideas have floated around the internet and off the lips of pundits, too. One or more Boston outfielders have to be sacrificed for the team’s long term balance, there’s just no getting around it. With six outfielders on the roster (and four of them being lefty bats) the team desperately needs a reshuffle.
Chad Jennings at The Athletic likens Rafaela to the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and notes that Boston sees the center fielder “as one of the truly elite defenders in baseball.” It doesn’t hurt that Rafaela packed on a bit of extra weight in the offseason and has recently been hitting with far greater power, including a recent walk off home run against the Rays in July 11. He’s under team control until 2031 and the Sox would be wise to keep him as a defensive rock in center.
Romy Gonzalez
Romy Gonzalez might not be a major trade chip, but he’s a player that the Red Sox should avoid dealing at all costs. Gonzalez has set up at all three bases this season and is hitting .311 with five home runs. Gonzalez is part of the platoon of necessity at first, but offers a physically large presence both on the field and in the batter’s box that brings a solid X-factor to the lineup. Peter Abraham at The Boston Globe calls Gonzalez an invaluable piece of the Red Sox identity this year, and losing him in a trade would be a major step back, even considering his role as a bench player and gap filler.
Aroldis Chapman and Alex Bregman
Finally, comes the tandem of Aroldis Chapman and Bregman. Both players are ostensibly suiting up in Boston colors for just a single season (Chapman on a one-year deal, Bregman with a potent opt-out clause). Both players have provided a critical spark to the Red Sox organization. Chapman has blown a single save opportunity while maintaining a 1.18 ERA across 38 innings. He’s throwing gas with an opponent batting average of .144 against him and 58 strikeouts on the season. Chapman has come in to pitch through high-leverage situations and closed out games to shut the door. If the Sox are serious about winning this season, they cannot let him go, even if that means letting him walk for nothing in the winter.
The same should be said about Bregman. Exploring new contract details to keep him in Boston long term is a must, but even if that can’t be accomplished, shipping him off for prospects really isn’t in the team’s best interest. After sending Devers away, the Red Sox would be signaling a major cultural shift and essentially throwing in the towel on the year by trading away their offseason prize. It can’t be done; it shouldn’t be done.