Red Sox Insider Reveals Why Boston Failed To Land Twins' Joe Ryan

The Boston Red Sox's trade deadline haul was underwhelming, and it's doubly painful because of what could have been.

Boston came away from the Thursday deadline with just two new players, both pitchers on expiring contracts. Steven Matz and Dustin May were additions on the margins, but the Red Sox had something much bigger on the docket that they couldn't push over the goal line.

According to multiple reports, including one from Jen McCaffrey and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox made a late push to trade for Minnesota Twins All-Star Joe Ryan, who would have been the best pitcher traded at the deadline. But they came up short, and it's very possible their fixation on Ryan cost them a shot at making other helpful moves.

McCaffrey and Rosenthal's report also revealed something critical: the specific reason the Red Sox's offers to Minnesota weren't enough to pry Ryan loose, as well as one name they were confirmed to be willing to give up.

"As the minutes ticked closer to Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox reached out to the Minnesota Twins about coveted starter Joe Ryan. But according to league sources briefed on discussions from the Twins’ side, talks fell apart when the Red Sox were unwilling to offer any of their big league outfielders, or an enticing enough package of their top-tier prospects," wrote McCaffrey.

"Jhostynxon Garcia, the Red Sox’s top outfield prospect, was in the mix to be in the deal. But despite Boston’s highly-regarded farm system, sources said that the rest of the haul offered was not substantial enough to land Ryan, owner of a 2.82 ERA and whose value is enhanced by being under team control through 2027."

So reading between the lines, it seems as though a package that included either of two outfielders, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu could have gotten the job done. And perhaps another path existed if prospects like shortstop Franklin Arias or left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle were included, though we can't say with certainty that they weren't.

Either way, the bottom line here is that the Red Sox failed to answer the bell. In a season where they traded their best hitter, then promised impactful additions at the trade deadline, they came away with peanuts.

And the fact that they were confirmed to come up short in intense negotiations for what would have been a big addition only adds to the pain.