Red Sox Linked To Under-The-Radar Ace With Deadline Looming

The Boston Red Sox seemingly are one big move away from being serious World Series contenders.

Boston enters the second half of the season sporting a 53-45 record and holding the No. 2 spot in the American League Wild Card race.

As rumors have picked up about the approaching 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline, the biggest need for Boston is a clear upgrade for the starting rotation. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier talked about this while joining NESN’s “310 To Left” podcast and specifically mentioned Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo López as a deadline fit.

"Names like Joe Ryan is coming to the surface as a potential candidate," Speier said. "You wonder if the Twins would also entertain offers for Pablo López. The Rays I’ve heard are willing to entertain offers for Taj Bradley. They’re a team that needs offense. Would you trade with a division rival and a wild card rival in a surplus for surplus trade?”

This is the type of move that would move the needle for Boston. Lopez doesn’t have as big of a name as others, like Sandy Alcántara, but he’s uber-talented and is under contract until through the 2027 season. He would be an expensive target on the trade market, but he's someone who would help take Boston to another level.

So far this season, he's appeared in 11 games and has a 2.82 ERA and 61-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 60 2/3 innings pitched. If Boston could somehow shake him loose, that would be a game-changer for Boston.