MLB Trade Deadline 2025: 2 Pitchers Red Sox Should Target | Insider Analysis
The MLB trade deadline is 20 days away, which is more than enough time for Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to find some much-needed bullpen help for manager Alex Cora.
“I would look to add Emmanuel Clase or Ryan Helsley,” The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote Wednesday regarding Boston’s bullpen search.
That echoes what ESPN’s Jeff Passan said Thursday. “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 wrote.
In fact, Passan said the best trade deadline match for the Red Sox is Helsley, who anchors the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen.
“Red Sox relievers walk too many hitters and don’t strike out enough,” Passan noted. “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,” 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.
As for Clase, the Cleveland Guardians reliever is 4-2 with 19 saves and a 3.12 ERA in 41 appearances this season.
The three-time All-Star has led the American League in saves and games pitched in each of the last three seasons, recording at least 40 saves each year, including a career-high 47 in 2024.
Clase, 27, is making $4.9 million this year and is under contract for $6.4 million in 2026, according to Spotrac. His deal includes a pair of $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028.
It’s also worth noting he was suspended for the 2020 season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.