Will the Red Sox be sellers at the trade deadline?

The 2026 Boston Red Sox are on pace to be the worst team in 61 years, while still remaining in the playoff hunt due to a weak American League. The team is reportedly seeking a right-handed bat, but a single hitter may not fix an offense ranked last in runs and near the bottom in multiple categories. The near-term schedule includes strong opponents, making short-term improvement uncertain. Potential sellers could include Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray. At the same time, Roman Anthony is progressing, Garrett Crochet is nearing a return, and the mid-June to mid-July schedule includes weaker teams. The franchise has not typically executed full veterans-for-prospects deadline trades, aside from a largely salary-dump move.

"They are potentially the worst Red Sox team in 61 years (that's how they'd end the season if they remain at their current clip).* They're still not out of the playoff hunt, thanks to the American League's Golden Age of Mediocrity. This paradox makes it very hard to think about how the team should approach the trade deadline, which is now only 59 games away."

"Just yesterday, we heard reports that the Sox were already looking for a right-handed bat to bolster the offense. But one bat may not help much considering that this is arguably the worst offense in baseball (last in runs, second-to-last in homers, fourth-to-last in line drive percentage, fourth in ground ball percentage, etc.) Moreover, the immediate schedule is not exactly promising: 11 of their next 14 games are against the Braves, Guardians, Yankees, and Rays."

"On the other hand, Roman Anthony is swinging a bat, Garrett Crochet is close to returning, and the Sox's schedule from mid-June through mid-July is filled with cupcakes like the Rockies, White Sox, Angels, Nats, and Mets. Moreover, we've never really seen the Red Sox do the full vets-for-prospects trading deadline thing (I consider the Nick Punto trade to have been more of a salary dump)."

"So given that it's too early to say for sure, let's get into a guessing game: will the Red Sox be sellers at the deadline? Talk about that and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another."

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