Red Sox make first trade before deadline, acquiring left-hander Steven Matz from Cardinals for power hitting prospect

The Red Sox have made their first trade ahead of Thursday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.

Boston has acquired left-hander Steven Matz from the Cardinals for corner infield prospect Blaze Jordan, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. No money is exchanging hands as part of the deal. The Sox will assume the remainder of Matz’s $12 salary, which will be about $4 million for the final two months of the season.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Boston is expected to move right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins to the 60-day injured list. He is out for the season following an ACL injury he suffered earlier this month.

Matz, 34, has primarily pitched out of the St. Louis’ bullpen this season and has also been a starter in his career for the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Mets. The southpaw has logged 55 innings for St. Louis this season, recording a 3.44 ERA and a 2.88 FIP while striking out 47 batters while walking just nine in 32 appearances (two starts). It looks like Matz will be added to the Red Sox bullpen, which now has five lefties in Brennan Bernardino, Jeff Wilson, Chris Murphy, and Aroldis Chapman right now.

The Red Sox could option Murphy back to the WooSox. Bernardino, who has pitched in 47 games with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP, could also be sent back to the minors.

Upgrading the bullpen has been a priority for the Red Sox. They’ve recorded a 3.37 bullpen ERA (fourth best in baseball) as a group, with a 22 percent strikeout rate (15th) and 10 percent walk rate (21st), according to MLB.com.

Jordan Hicks has been inconsistent since he came over in the five-player deal for Rafael Devers. Greg Weissert has been overworked, appearing in 50 games and posting a 2.93 ERA.

Matz began the 2025 campaign in the Cardinals’ bullpen due to a logjam in their starting rotation. He did make two starts, one on April 16 and one on April 30, before transitioning to the bullpen full-time. The lefty was excellent through the month of May, recording a 1.91 ERA, but then his results went south, getting shelled in June and posting a 7.30 ERA in 12 1/3 frames. He’s looked better over the course of July, where he has a 3.72 ERA over eight appearances.

The Sox' new lefty has been tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .179 average and .442 OPS. Righties, however, have hit .313 off him with an OPS of .814. Those splits are similar to Wilson, who has been basically a lefty specialist for the Red Sox bullpen.

Craig Breslow is still searching for a starter, and the Red Sox have been linked to a handful of names. The Twins Joe Ryan sits atop the Red Sox' wish list, but based off the under-the-radar trade to acquire Matz, the Sox could be targeting someone else that hasn’t been mentioned by the media. For now, Matz doesn’t appear to be in the Red Sox rotation plans; he’s only thrown 24 pitches since the All-Star break and would need to be stretched out before taking the ball every fifth day.

If the Sox plan to ever use Matz as a starter, he’s made 172 starts over the course of his career, and it’s ultimately where his “heart is” at as a pitcher.

“I think ultimately, in my mind, I still would like to start some games in big leagues,” Matz said Wednesday to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “That’s definitely a goal. I feel like I can still do that. I’m happy to do what they need me to do here in those roles. But I think knowing that I can do both now is definitely something—to be able to go back-to-back and go multiple innings out of the bullpen... but I think ultimately starting is really kind of where my heart is.”

Matz comes to Boston as a rental; he is in the final season for a four-year, $44-million deal he signed with St. Louis back in November 2021. The Sox were in the mix to sign Matz that offseason, but he decided to head to the Midwest.

Over his tenure with the Cardinals, he has experienced varying degrees of success. Matz was bothered by arm and knee problems in 2022, where he was limited to just 15 games, 10 as a starter, and recorded an ERA of 3.86 and 5.08 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. He utilizes a combination of three pitches, including a sinker, curveball, and changeup, and occasionally incorporates a slider into his repertoire. Boston adds a pitcher who has pitched in a big market in the past, spending his first six seasons in Queens pitching for the Mets, and then in the AL East for the Blue Jays. He also made three starts in the playoffs for the Mets in the 2015 postseason, including one in the World Series, where he was 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA.

Matz knew the idea of being traded was on the table ahead of the deadline, considering he’s a free agent at the end of the season.

“It’s hard to avoid the idea of uprooting stuff when you’ve got family involved and stuff like that,” Matz said Wednesday to Cardinals’ reporters. “Ultimately, we’re still here, and so I’m just kind of keeping my same mindset as I had all here and just trying to enjoy every day and just be present with where I’m at. That’s all you can do.”

Jordan heads to the Cardinals after being rumored in trade talks this winter as part of a potential package for third baseman Nolan Arenado. He reunites with former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who drafted Jordan 89th overall in 2020.

The corner infielder has split time with the Sea Dogs and WooSox this season. Prior to his Triple-A promotion, he owned a .928 OPS in Portland and hit .289 with six homers, 24 RBI, and an .809 OPS in 43 games for Worcester.

Bloom takes over as the Cardinals front office leader this winter in place of current president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who will retire after the season.

Jordan had been a trade candidate mainly due to being Rule 5 eligible following the season. By trading him now, the Red Sox at least get something back to help them down the stretch.

The 22-year-old brings power potential but has struggled to consistently bring that from batting practice to the games. Jordan’s tantalizing power has been seen on YouTube videos where he crushed record-setting homers as a teenager. His prestigious power helped him win the 2019 High School Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game, where he had several 500-foot blasts that turned heads in the stands. He should be added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The Matz trade came on the heels of another big Cardinals trade earlier in the night. St. Louis traded closer Ryan Helsley to the Mets for a package of prospects in Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Frank Elissalt.