Red Sox-Joe Ryan Trade? Insider's Update Is Bad News For Boston

If the Boston Red Sox could wave their magic wand and add anyone around Major League Baseball to their current roster, Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan would be high on their list.

Ryan, a 29-year-old who made his first All-Star appearance on Tuesday, has been sensational for a while now. He's got a 2.72 ERA and 0.92 WHIP this season, but his WHIP was under one in 2024 as well. As running mates for ace Garrett Crochet go, Ryan might be the best possible option.

There's a school of thought that the Twins could be willing to sell on Ryan, who doesn't hit free agency until 2028, while his value is at his absolute peak. Maybe that's true. But the price tag they'd be looking for rests somewhere between exorbitant and flat-out ridiculous.

That's why on Wednesday, MassLive's Chris Cotillo, during his trade deadline preview, seemingly predicted that Ryan would cost too much for the Red Sox to have a realistic shot at acquiring him.

"A high-value running mate for Crochet like Minnesota’s Joe Ryan looks great on paper but the asking price will be insane (much more than just Jarren Duran). The guess here is that the Red Sox, while willing to push for controllable options, instead find the market to be prohibitive and push for a high-floor rental," Cotillo wrote.

"With Crochet, Bello, Giolito (most likely), Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Tanner Houck and Kyle Harrison all controlled past this year, the Red Sox don’t have to rush into another long-term rotation add."

However, Cotillo indicated that the rental starting pitching market could be a different story for Boston. That ultimately might be where they have to look to bolster their rotation, and Cotillo listed a bunch of intriguing names.

"Luckily for Breslow, there’s talent to be found on the rental market. Arizona’s Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, Kansas City’s Seth Lugo, Baltimore’s Charlie Morton and Pittsburgh’s Andrew Heaney would all help the group while not breaking the bank," Cotillo wrote.

There's a lot of variance there, with ERAs from 2.67 (Lugo) to 5.40 (Gallen). And none are as exciting as Ryan. But that's kind of the point, because acquiring Ryan at the deadline might require the Red Sox to sell their entire farm to the Twins.