Are the Red Sox for real? We're about to find out
If there's one thing the Boston Red Sox have proven over the past few years, for better or worse, it's that they're going to keep things interesting.
The Red Sox appeared to be heading in a tailspin early this season, stumbling out of the gates and firing their longtime manager Alex Cora on April 25 along with the majority of the team's coaching staff. The move sent shockwaves around baseball and put the spotlight on the team's chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow.
"By acting today, it gives us 135 games ahead of us," Breslow told reporters after the firing. "We've got almost a full season's worth of run to take advantage of this fresh start and ultimately to compete for a division and deep postseason run in the way that we talked about it and envisioned and believed heading into spring training.
"We believe in the group of players that we have in the clubhouse, down the hallway, and we believe that a new direction is warranted, new voices, and something that enables us to take a fresh start."
And with young star Roman Anthony and AL Cy Young Award finalist Garrett Crochet both missing the majority of the first half, there was very little reason to be optimistic about their season improving. Breslow's confidence in his team appeared to be for naught.
But baseball has a funny way of making the unexpected a reality.
The Red Sox, winners of 10 straight, are 37-31 since they fired Cora and are currently baseball's hottest team. Boston entered the All-Star break on a heater, sweeping the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. After being in the doldrums of the AL standings for a good portion of the first half of the season, the Red Sox entered Friday just a 1/2 game out of the third AL wild-card spot.
Boston has a chance to pull off an incredible story for the second straight year. Just last season, the Red Sox shocked the baseball world by trading their best player in Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Following the trade, Breslow said the Red Sox would be a better team come season's end. He was right as Boston made it to the postseason.
If there was a year to have a slow start and still be in the mix, it's this season in the American League. While just five teams in the AL were over .500 entering play after the All-Star break, there are currently six teams within 3.5 games of the third wild-card spot.
Boston being in the middle of the AL wild-card race has even bigger trade deadline implications. The Red Sox were viewed as a team potentially looking to sell prior to their winning streak. They had three of the better trade candidates on the market in right-hander Sonny Gray, first baseman Willson Contreras and closer Aroldis Chapman.
All three are now unlikely to move with the team's recent success.
The Red Sox have an opportunity to solidify themselves as buyers with the trade deadline less than three weeks away. Boston has series against the Rays, Orioles, Blue Jays, A's and Dodgers prior to the trade deadline.
If the Red Sox are truly buyers at the deadline, adding more offense to their lineup will have to be a point of emphasis. Despite their recent run of success, Boston is tied for 24th in MLB in runs scored this season. Contreras' bat has carried most of the offensive load in 2026 and while and while third baseman Caleb Durbin has come on strong over the last month, that duo can't be expected to carry a lineup to the postseason themselves.
Boston is a left-handed heavy lineup, and with some of its outfielders struggling, there are a few available right-handed outfielders who could fit their needs. Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward or Reds utilityman Spencer Steer are both intriguing options.
Even after trade acquisitions, if the Red Sox can get Anthony and Crochet back healthy in the second half, those are impact players who are essentially deadline acquisitions. Boston has given itself new life for this stretch of the season. And if its resurgence tells us anything about what to expect in the second half, it's that this season, one good week can change everything.
