Red Sox Reportedly Among 5 Teams Dictating MLB Trade Deadline Market

Will he buy or will he sell? Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow must be a fan of The Clash, because right now, everyone wants to know what he will do ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

But the Red Sox aren’t alone in having to make that decision during the next four weeks. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden noted Wednesday that 25 of 30 teams currently “are within striking distance of postseason position.” So Bowden talked to more than three dozen MLB executives to gauge the trade market.

“Said one National League president of baseball operations: ‘I have no clue. Can’t make sense of (it) at all. That will obviously change over the next month, but it’s really tough to read now, as most teams are saying they are looking to buy.’

“An American League general manager told me, ‘We are all waiting for teams to decide if they’re going to sell, but it might take until close to the deadline for teams like the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Red Sox, Guardians and Angels to make that call.'”

The Red Sox (43-45) are in fourth place in the American League East, but just six games behind the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, who are tied for first place.

Boston is just three games back in the AL Wild Card standings. On top of that, the Red Sox are one of six teams within 5 1/2 games of the third and final AL wild card.

On the field, the Red Sox are making Breslow’s life difficult. Boston is 3-8 in its last 11 games, leaving the club’s future in limbo. How will the CBO navigate being stuck in trade deadline no-man’s land? It all comes down to whether he will buy or sell to escape MLB purgatory.