Red Sox interested in a pair of Diamondbacks starters as trade deadline is less than 24 hours away, Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski lands Twins closer Jhoan Duran

The rumor mill is sizzling hot as the Red Sox are connected to two more starting pitchers.

Boston is reportedly connected to a pair of Arizona right-handed starters, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.

The D-backs have already flipped a pair of hitters in Josh Naylor to the Mariners and Randal Grichuk to the Royals this week for young pitching prospects.

Both Gallen and Kelly are impending free agents at the end of the season and would fill a much-needed void in the Red Sox starting rotation.

Gallen, 29, has had a down year, going 7-12 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.354 WHIP and giving up a league-leading 23 home runs. He’s had success in the past leading the D-backs rotation, finishing third in the NL race for Cy Young in 2023, and has served as an Opening Day starter in the past. If it were up to him, he’d remain in Arizona, a team he’s spent his entire big league career with outside of seven starts as a rookie with the Marlins.

“This is the place that I grew up,” Gallen said to reporters this week. “A place where I laid roots, a place where I met my soon-to-be wife. So, yeah, Arizona means a lot to me. They gave me a lot of runway in the last six or seven years. I kind of learned a lot about myself. The organization and the community has been great—everything, top to bottom, just the support staff [manager Torey Lovullo], everything.”

The Sox aren’t the only team looking to possibly acquire Gallen. The Cubs are in the market for another starter, and they’ve also been connected to the righty. Chicago’s pitching staff has taken similar hits to Boston’s, losing Justin Steele to Tommy John surgery, and Jamison Taillon has been out with a calf injury but is nearing a rehab start in the coming weeks.

Gallen is an impending free agent this winter, which should reduce the return headed back to the Diamondbacks. His production on the mound is slightly worrisome, but he’s durable, which is something the Red Sox would love to have behind Garrett Crochet.

Kelly, 36, has been having a strong season and would help solidify the Sox’ rotation. He’s 9-6 this season with 13 quality starts, a 3.22 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts in 128.2 innings. His impressive numbers are tantalizing for contending teams. Similar to Gallen,

He was also excellent during the D-backs’ postseason run in 2023 when they went to the World Series. He was 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 24 innings.

Kelly is a free agent at the end of the season.

At 59-51, the Red Sox are sitting just five games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East and are currently holding the second Wild Card spot. Boston just took two in a row from the Twins and got a decent outing from Brayan Bello, who went seven innings on Wednesday, giving up one earned run off five hits with four walks and four strikeouts. He improved to 7-5 this season and has finished 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in six starts in the month of July.

Bello has been a pleasant surprise since coming off the IL earlier this season and has been a consistent starter along with Lucas Giolito, but in order to make a run for the postseason, the Sox need another starter to complement their group.

Over the last week, the Red Sox have been connected to starters Joe Ryan (Twins), Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), Edward Cabrera (Marlins), Gallen and Kelly, and Mitch Keller (Pirates).

TRADER DAVE STRIKES AGAIN

Phillies front office boss Dave Dombrowski is not afraid to push his chips to the center of the table.

He did just that on Wednesday afternoon, acquiring arguably the top reliever on the trade market, Twins closer Jhoan Duran, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Philadelphia is sending two prospects, pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait, back to Minnesota to complete the deal.

Duran is the second bullpen acquisition the Phillies have made in the last few weeks. They also signed veteran reliever David Robertson to a prorated deal for the remainder of the season.

The Phillies land a legitimate ninth-inning option after losing Jose Alvarado for 80 games after he was popped for PED use by the league. He is eligible to return in the regular season but is ineligible to help the Phillies in the postseason.

Duran immediately becomes the Phillies' closer and brings a 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances with 53 strikeouts and 18 walks to the City of Brotherly Love. He’s also recorded 16 saves.

There had been speculation on Wednesday that the Red Sox were suitors for Duran. Boston had expressed interest in one of the top relievers in the game, but Craig Breslow reportedly found the price too rich for his blood.

Boston has an established closer in All-Star Aroldis Chapman, and had the Sox added Duran, the duo would have been a lethal two-headed monster in the back of the bullpen.