The Boston Red Sox and specifically chief baseball officer Craig Breslow have been understandably blasted for how they handled the 2025 trade deadline. Yes, they did acquire Steven Matz as well as Dustin May, but those felt like shopping in the clearance aisle than an earnest attempt to reinforce the roster. Now, the Red Sox may have to immediately regret their inaction given the latest reports on Marcelo Mayer and his wrist.
Up until recently, Mayer's wrist injury was seen as more of a minor annoyance than anything else, and the team was even considering an anti-inflammatory injection to accelerate his return to the field. However, a report from USA Today's MLB insider Bob Nightengale just indicated that not only is Mayer's wrist injury not mild at all, but it could require season-ending surgery.
Marcelo Mayer's wrist injury being worse than thought is a disaster for the Red Sox
We are light on actual details for now, but this would be a brutal development for the Red Sox if Mayer did miss the rest of the season. Not only is he one of the young players that has excited fans the most as Boston has become reinvigorated since the Rafael Devers trade, but he lengthens Boston's lineup and allows the Red Sox to play Ceddanne Rafaela and his stellar defense in the outfield more often.
At first glance, Mayer's injury seems like it has nothing to do with the Red Sox's trade deadline. The only positions they were ever going to make a move for were starting pitching, bullpen help, and first base, and Mayer can't help with any of those.
However, what the Red Sox's trade deadline strategy did do is assume that their current roster wouldn't suffer any setbacks and that they were in a good enough position without a major move. In a vacuum, perhaps there was some truth to that given how much talent they have on both sides of the ball.
Unfortunately, not only does Tanner Houck need Tommy John surgery which underscored Boston's failure to close a deal for Joe Ryan or make a real attempt to reinforce the rotation, but now Mayer could miss the rest of the season. Assuming nothing will go wrong and that you can "make a trade without making a trade" by having guys break out after the deadline is a recipe for trouble, and the Red Sox are finding that out.