As the 2025 trade deadline closes in, the Boston Red Sox have been mostly quiet in the market and in rumors.
Boston opened its deadline acquisitions by trading first base prospect Blaze Jordan to the Cardinals for pitcher Steven Matz. Most reporters and insiders believe the Sox aren't done adding, and they shouldn't be, but multiple recent reports have tempered expectations around their deadline performance.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow initially hoped to trade for controllable starting pitching help, but prices for such players are reportedly astronomical. There are some rental options available, but Sox fans shouldn't get their hopes up there, either — Chris Cotillo of MassLive wrote that an executive who's been in talks with the Red Sox said that money is a factor in all their decisions.
Cotillo notes that Red Sox owner John Henry may have imposed a budget for this year's deadline, which could very well be true, given the way the team has been managed financially in recent seasons. But after missing the playoffs in the last three years and five of the last six, Boston should be going full throttle.
Budget constraints should not prevent the Red Sox from going all-in at the trade deadline
The Red Sox had a big offseason to push them back into playoff contention this year, but they seem willing to throw it all away at the deadline. Boston traded for, then extended Garrett Crochet for the next six seasons, but Alex Bregman could opt out of his contract and hit free agency again in 2026. The Red Sox should be doing everything they can to prove to their new players and top prospects (who they, no doubt, hope to extend for cheap) that they're committed to winning by any means necessary.
It's not like the Red Sox are short on funds. By trading Rafael Devers in a salary dump, Boston came into $200-plus million it didn't expect to have. There's no good excuse for money preventing the Red Sox front office from signing anyone it needs to make the postseason.
Boston's front office has repeatedly said there's an urgency within the organization to return to the playoffs, but its actions rarely line up with its promises. Red Sox players deserve the front office's investment. Not only did they put up with the Devers controversy that was entirely created by management, but they fought through the adversity to be in a playoff spot at the trade deadline, just one game behind the longtime first-place Yankees in the American League East standings.
Red Sox players and fans know the team has Devers' money and much, much more at its disposal. Of all the concerns the front office should have at this deadline, money should be at the absolute bottom of the list.