MLB Notebook: Craig Breslow still believes in Red Sox; Could summer trade save their season?

The Red Sox are two months into the season and find themselves in a familiar position: looking up at the rest of the American League East standings.

Boston enters Sunday’s series finale against the Guardians at 24-33, good for last place in the division and 12 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.

Despite the disappointing record and an offense that has scored the second-fewest runs in the American League, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow remains confident the Red Sox can still work their way back into the postseason picture.

The Red Sox begin the day four games behind the final American League Wild Card spot, a manageable deficit with more than four months remaining in the season. While the club’s offensive inconsistency has been its biggest obstacle, Breslow believes the combination of a strong pitching staff, emerging young talent, and potential roster additions can keep Boston in the playoff race.

At 24-33, the Red Sox have little margin for error and will need their offense to take a significant step forward if they hope to climb back into contention over the summer months.

"I do, yes. I still have a lot of confidence and a lot of belief in the players that we have in the clubhouse and in the staff and the work that they're doing," Breslow said. "We've got to win games. There's no question about that. And we've got plenty of work to do ahead of us, but when you look back at the last month, I think the bats are starting to come together. Some guys are getting going. We've seen what Jarren [Duran] can do at the top of the lineup when he's getting on base a couple times a game and starting to swing it. And some of the guys that have come up, whether it's Sogy [Nick Sogard] or Mickey [Gasper], have lengthened the lineup out a little bit. And I think we're going to continue to pitch really well."

From the casual Red Sox fan who checks in a few times a week to the diehard who watches all 162 games, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find anyone who truly believes in the roster Breslow assembled over the winter. 

The Sox have spent the first two months of the season showing flashes at times, but not enough consistency to create meaningful momentum. Boston can pitch and has a good defense, but is that enough to make a run from June through the dog days of summer? At some point, optimism has to give way to reality, and right now the reality is that Boston looks more like a team treading water than one positioned to contend.

"We are aggressively trying to improve our team," Breslow said on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Thursday. "And certainly adding a bat, adding offense, is one way to do that. We're not gonna be closed off to other ways. And I think the possibility that that could be an addition from outside the organization is real."

The Red Sox desperately need more offense, and that was true even before Trevor Story landed on the injured list with a sports hernia and Roman Anthony was sidelined with a finger injury. The bigger question is where that additional offense is going to come from. While fans may be clamoring for a major addition, Breslow downplayed the likelihood of a blockbuster move in the immediate future, noting that many clubs around the league are not yet in selling mode. With the trade deadline still weeks away and few impact bats readily available, the Red Sox may have little choice but to look internally and hope several underperforming hitters begin producing at a higher level.

"But when we're having conversations with other teams, as all teams do," Breslow said, "there aren't too many that are in a position to commit to a path in 2026, because there's not a ton of separation across the teams in the American League, right? There's four above .500 and then there's a bunch of teams that are sitting around saying, 'We haven't played very well, but this thing hasn't gotten away from us yet."

If you look at the standings, unfortunately for those hoping for a dramatic shakeup, Breslow isn’t wrong. A handful of American League teams remain within striking distance of the final Wild Card spot. The Athletics, Rangers, Orioles, Twins, Astros, and Red Sox are separated by just a few games, with the gap ranging from a half-game to roughly four games.

The parity across the league is remarkable, and it’s the very thing the Red Sox are clinging to as they try to remain relevant in the playoff race. Despite their flaws and inconsistent play, Boston remains within striking distance largely because so many other contenders have struggled to create separation. For now, the hope inside the organization is that a hot stretch can quickly vault the club up the standings and into postseason position.

I’m not a huge proponent of hypothetical trades; I leave that to the aggregators on social media, but it’s worth nothing that there’s players who could be available in the coming weeks and if the Sox continue to linger, Breslow could consider a splash and see how things go over the final few months of the season. 

Here’s a look at players that could be available and whom Breslow should be kicking the tires on in the coming weeks. 

Royce Lewis / 3B / Minnesota Twins

The Twins optioned Royce Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul earlier this month, and all he’s done since is remind everyone why he was once viewed as one of baseball’s brightest young stars.

In 11 games, Lewis is hitting .318 with seven home runs, 13 RBI, three doubles, and a 1.252 OPS. The production has been eye-popping, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s fixed.

The former No. 1 overall pick struggled mightily before his demotion, batting just .163/.261/.279 in 31 games and 119 plate appearances. While Lewis has never been a particularly high-strikeout hitter, posting a 21% strikeout rate from 2022-25, that number ballooned to 31.1% this season.

The underlying metrics paint a concerning picture. His chase rate climbed to 32.8%, well above the 28.2% mark he posted during his breakout 2022-23 stretch, while his in-zone contact rate dropped from 83.7% to 78.3%. More alarming was his ability to make contact on pitches outside the strike zone, which cratered from 59.1% to just 44%.

Since reaching the majors, injuries have repeatedly derailed his development. Lewis has torn the ACL in his right knee twice, suffered multiple hamstring injuries, dealt with a quad strain, and earlier this year sustained a left knee sprain. The physical toll has prevented him from establishing the consistency many expected when Minnesota selected him first overall in 2017.

Still, it’s easy to understand why teams would remain intrigued.

Lewis offers legitimate right-handed power and would immediately become one of the most talented offensive players in Boston’s lineup. Defensively, he’s appeared in 230 career games at third base, committing just 23 errors while posting a .956 fielding percentage.

If healthy, Lewis would fit best at third base, allowing Caleb Durbin to slide across the diamond to second.

Durbin has been excellent defensively and looks capable of developing into a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman. Offensively, however, he has been one of the least productive regulars in Boston’s lineup. While he’s shown signs of life recently with five hits and four RBI over his last three games, the overall body of work remains underwhelming.

The bigger question is what Minnesota would demand in return.

The Twins would almost certainly ask for pitching, and Boston has no shortage of intriguing arms. Anthony Eyanson should be completely off limits. The right-hander has dominated every level he’s touched this season and has quickly become one of the organization’s most valuable pitching prospects.

Beyond Eyanson, however, names such as John Holobetz, Hayden Mullins, and Blake Wehunt could draw interest. It’s fair to wonder whether some of Boston’s upper-level pitching depth has remained at Double-A Portland in part because those arms could become attractive trade chips this summer.

If Breslow explores a deal for Lewis, though, the injury history must dictate the price.

The Red Sox should not part with premium prospects for a player who has appeared in more than 106 games just once in his professional career. There is risk anytime you trade prospects this time of year. 

That’s especially true given Breslow’s recent history of aggressive trades. Last summer’s deal for Dustin May cost Boston prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard for what ultimately amounted to six starts. Tibbs has since blossomed in the Dodgers system, hitting .317 with 16 homers, 15 doubles, two triples, 50 RBI, with 36 walks and a 1.063 OPS. 

I toyed with the idea of the Red Sox pursuing outfielder Byron Buxton, but ultimately left him off the list. The fit just isn’t obvious right now with the logjam in the outfield. 

Buxton remains one of the most dynamic players in baseball when healthy, but Boston already has a crowded outfield featuring Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Anthony. Adding another everyday outfielder would create more questions than answers.

Unless the Red Sox were willing to move Duran as part of a deal for Buxton, or in a separate trade altogether, it’s difficult to see where Buxton fits on an everyday basis.

The Red Sox roster construction has been heavily criticized this offseason and adding Buxton would further complicate things for interim manager Chad Tracy. 

For that reason, Lewis makes considerably more sense as a potential target than Buxton, even with the injury concerns that come attached to him.

Zach Neto / SS / Los Angeles Angels 

The Red Sox reportedly explored a