What’s Best Red Sox Trade Deadline Move? Get All-Star Pitcher, Insider Says

Craig Breslow is approaching a fork in the road. Do the Boston Red Sox buy or sell ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline? And if they buy, what position will the chief baseball officer seek to upgrade?

Both Breslow and team president Sam Kennedy said the Red Sox are committed to being buyers. Of course, the current six-game winning streak helped make that decision easier.

If Boston remains on this course, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said Thursday the best trade deadline match for the Red Sox is St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley.

“Red Sox relievers walk too many hitters and don’t strike out enough,” Passan wrote. “Take away Aroldis Chapman— the best reliever in the AL this season — and the Red Sox have a middle-of-the-pack bullpen.

“Getting Helsley from St. Louis would give Boston arguably the top setup-closer combination in baseball and go a long way toward supporting a rotation that has been among the game’s best over the past month.

“Boston has the makings of a very good team in the second half,” Passan continued. “Alex Bregman will return soon. Roman Anthony has an OPS of nearly 1.000 over his past 10 games. Ceddanne Rafaela is one of the best center fielders in baseball. Carlos Narvaez is a gem. Wilyer Abreu, Trevor Story, even Abraham Toro — everyone is contributing.

“A reliever or two and another starter would make the Red Sox the sort of contender they envisioned being at the beginning of the season,” Passan concluded.

Helsley is 3-0 with 18 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 31 relief appearances this season. Last year, he led the majors with a career-best 49 saves.

The 30-year-old right-hander is a two-time All-Star and has spent all seven of his big-league seasons with the Cardinals. He is making $8.2 million this year and will be a free agent after the World Series, according to Spotrac.