There is less than a day to go until the MLB trade deadline, and the Boston Red Sox have largely operated under the radar. There have been more trade rumors surrounding Jarren Duran than anything else, and Boston has said it has no plans to move him before the deadline.
But on July 29, Red Sox insider Sean McAdam dropped a batch of rumors that paint a clearer picture of the Sox's goals. The most interesting of them involves Miami Marlins starting pitcher, Sandy Alcántara.
According to McAdam, the Sox told Miami not to move Alcántara until it checked back in with them. Alcántara is seemingly one of the few controllable starters available on this year's market, and trading for a long-term rotation arm is among one of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's top priorities. Unfortunately, the asking price for the righty is reportedly high, and includes "two elite prospects... plus."
McAdam reports that the asking prices for all controllable starters have been astronomical. The Red Sox have elite prospects to spare, but whether they should spend them on Alcántara is worth questioning. Alcántara won the National League Cy Young Award in 2022 with a 2.28 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings, but he's looked like a completely different pitcher since. He underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season, and he's posted a 6.36 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 42 walks in 109 innings this year.
Red Sox focused on adding rotation and bullpen help before deadline, but asking prices are astronomical
Sandy Alcantara's last two starts:
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 30, 2025
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner is finding his form again ahead of the trade deadline pic.twitter.com/x8kshxOz8I
Alcántara's inconsistency could keep the Red Sox away from him, especially at such a high price. Boston also needs bullpen reinforcements, but it seems to be avoiding elite options like Ryan Helsley, David Bednar and Jhoan Duran. McAdam wrote that Boston hasn't "engaged" with any of those options.
The Red Sox's main focus should be on adding another starter, as their bullpen has been quite solid. Boston's relievers have posted a 3.37 ERA, the fourth-best in baseball, over 397.2 innings, while its rotation has been inconsistent. The bullpen is another injury or two from being strapped, however, so the Sox should add a lower-tier option for a more reasonable price to focus the bulk of its resources on finding a starter.
If the Red Sox determine the asking price for Alcántara is too high, there are a few rentals who could move the needle in the rotation, like Andrew Heaney or Merrill Kelly. The competition for them will be fierce, however, so Boston still may need to get uncomfortable to bolster its pitching staff.