Getty

Boston Red Sox insider explains why the team isn't likely to find a trade partner to turn its season around.

The Boston Red Sox dropped their midweek series to the Philadelphia Phillies. With that, they lost their fourth out of their last five series and fell to 10.5 games out of first place.

This comes since CBO Craig Breslow made the decision to fire longtime manager Alex Cora amid the already slow start. At the time, the argument he made was that the Red Sox still had a chance to win in 2026, but “We felt these changes were warranted.” Except, in the end, nothing has really changed since then with the team.

That leaves the roster as a place Breslow could attack, trying to improve the team with a trade. Except, as Red Sox insider Alex Speier explained recently, it’s not likely they actually find a trade partner.

“There is also the prospect of a trade — though any significant deals at this stage of the season remain unlikely, according to league sources. The Sox, like other struggling teams, are spitballing both big and small trade ideas within their own walls, and there has been more industry-wide chatter than is typical at this stage of the season. But the teams amidst the most disappointing starts (including the Sox, Mets, Angels, Astros, and Giants) can still squint and see a path to contention — and in multiple cases, have front offices that may be fighting for their jobs,” Speier wrote.

“As such, even if teams made difference-making players available, they’d likely hold out for incredibly high returns. This is a time of year where trade discussions more typically come as demands rather than as the basis for negotiations. Those dynamics rarely serve as precursors to major moves.”

In other words, for the time being, the roster is the roster for the Red Sox. If a turnaround is coming, it has to come from the team playing more consistently.

Former GM J.P. Ricciardi Explained Why a Trade Would be Difficult for the Boston Red Sox

At one point, J.P. Ricciardi was a GM for the Toronto Blue Jays. Today, he’s looking at the Boston Red Sox for a way to turn their season around. However, as he explained on the “Cassell’s Corner” podcast, it can’t be done by a trade. Instead, they’ll need to find a way to change their approach.

“It’s hard to do things now because teams aren’t willing to trade at this point,” Ricciardi said. “I would try to utilize a little bit of their speed and maybe steal bases a little bit more… I would hit and run a little bit more. I would emphasize more contact to create traffic as much as I can on the bases because there’s no power on the club.”

Ricciardi would go on to emphasize that the most important thing right now for the Red Sox is to get healthy. That means finding a way to get Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony back on the field.

Wilyer Abreu Shared His Honest Take About the Red Sox

In the series finale against the Phillies, Wilyer Abreu was one of only two Red Sox players with multiple hits and he walked away with the only RBI in the game. After the game, he looked back and emphasized that the team is playing well but not finishing the job.

“I think we’re playing really good baseball,” Abreu said. “I think we’re creating opportunities, but at the same time, we need to accomplish.”

Now, the Red Sox are set to turn their attention to a road series against the Atlanta Braves. At 30-14, the Braves lead the NL East and have the best record in all of baseball.