MLB Trade Buzz: Red Sox, Yankees Scouting Pair Of Diamondbacks Righties

The trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Boston Red Sox are under pressure to make some marquee additions.

Following two bad games coming out of the All-Star break, the Red Sox now sit at 53-47, five games out of first place in the American League East, and have just a half-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot.

The deficiencies are obvious: first base, the bullpen, and a playoff-caliber starter. Boston could check all three of those boxes and make itself a clear-cut contender. Alternatively, it could have a disappointing deadline for the fourth consecutive year.

On the starting pitching front, the Red Sox have identified some potential targets, according to an insider's report. But the rival New York Yankees might be going for the same target.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Red Sox and Yankees are both scouting Arizona Diamondbacks righties Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in person during the current Arizona homestand.

"The Yankees and Red Sox, each looking for a starting pitcher, have sent scouts to watch Diamondbacks starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in Phoenix, with the Yankees also keeping a close eye on third baseman Eugenio Suárez (32 homers, 80 RBI)," Nightengale wrote.

Gallen and Kelly are both impending free agents, and both were key members of the 2023 rotation that powered the D-backs to a World Series appearance. But while Kelly is having an excellent season thus far (3.34 ERA, 3.0 bWAR), the younger Gallen has inexplicably struggled (5.40 ERA, 0.2 bWAR).

Kelly will pitch Sunday as the D-backs look to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, which would also get them back to .500. Gallen will follow on Monday as Arizona welcomes in the Houston Astros for a three-game set.

Also, from a competition standpoint, it would be ideal for the Red Sox to not have to face the slugging Suárez in the final seven games against the Yankees this year.

So there are lots of things in play here. Can the Red Sox fend off the Yankees, and other teams, for these potential targets? And will the targets be in play to begin with?

Thankfully, the next couple of weeks will provide all of those answers.