The Boston Red Sox are still in the postseason hunt, but they are not trending in the right direction. They could fall out of contention before the July 31 trade deadline.
The Red Sox have lost five straight and have not looked good since trading Rafael Devers to the Giants. If they are out of contention, they could try to maximize the value of some of their pending free agents at the trade deadline. Walker Buehler has had a bad season, but he could still have some trade value.
Buehler has a 6.29 ERA through 13 starts. He is a two-time All-Star, but has not been great in the regular season since his arm injury in 2022. However, last season he proved he can still dominate in October. He has a $25 million mutual option next year, and the Red Sox may not want to pick it up. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan listed him as a trade candidate and Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer proposed the Toronto Blue Jays could trade for him.
The Blue Jays are hanging around in the postseason race and are ahead of the Red Sox. However, they could use some pitching, and may not want to overpay for a big name if they are not locks to play in October.
“As for whether two AL East rivals would really hook up on a trade, let’s just assume the usual playbook wouldn’t apply here,” wrote Rymer. “As Buehler is a rental without much value, neither Boston nor Toronto would have to go into a potential trade spooked about the long-term ramifications.”
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Buehler has a 3.04 postseason ERA with 18 starts. Last season, he had a terrible regular season, like this year so far, and was great in the postseason. He had a 3.60 ERA in the postseason. All six runs he gave up came in one inning against the Padres. He could be a high-upside addition for the Blue Jays and help them if they make the postseason.
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