MLB Rumors: Possible Red Sox Trade Target Tanks In Latest Start

The Boston Red Sox’s quest for starting pitching ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline took an interesting turn Monday. That’s because one of the top arms on the trade market got rocked.

Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen gave up six earned runs over six innings in Arizona’s 6-3 loss to the Houston Astros.

Gallen gave up seven hits, including two home runs. His record dropped to 7-11 with a 5.58 ERA in 21 starts this season.

With the loss, the Diamondbacks fell to 50-51, pushing them closer to being trade deadline sellers. Should that happen, Gallen and teammate Merrill Kelly will be two of the best arms on the trade market.

“The Diamondbacks are getting as many calls — if not more — about Zac Gallen as they are for Merrill Kelly even though the latter starting pitcher is having the better season,” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported Tuesday. “Teams interested in adding to their rotations still have more faith in the 29-year-old Gallen than the 36-year-old Kelly.”

Gallen was an All-Star two years ago and finished the season with a career-high 17 wins. On top of that, he has three top-10 finishes in Cy Young voting over his seven-year MLB career. However he will be a free agent after the season, meaning he could be nothing more than a short-term rental.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel report there’s a 60% chance the Diamondbacks trade Gallen and list the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs as best fits.

“Gallen was excellent for the past three seasons but now, in a contract year, is posting career-worst numbers in almost every category,” the duo wrote Monday. “His stuff looks similar, but he’s allowing much more damage when hitters make contact. That said, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is back to normal in his past five starts, at 29-to-5, despite a 6.04 ERA in that span.”

Passan and McDaniel report there’s a 70% chance Arizona trades Kelly and lists the Red Sox, as well as the Blue Jays, Astros and Cubs as best fits.

“Kelly doesn’t have big raw stuff, having posted the second-lowest average fastball velocity (92.0) among pitchers with 115 innings pitched this season,” they wrote. “His changeup is his best pitch by a wide margin, and he gets by with location and off-speed stuff. He was a stalwart in the Diamondbacks’ run to the 2023 World Series, striking out 28 in 24 innings with a 2.25 ERA.”

Kelly is 9-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 21 starts this season and will be a free agent following the World Series.