Red Sox talking Diamondbacks star pitcher trade

The Boston Red Sox are one of many active teams at this year’s Major League Baseball trade deadline. The Red Sox’s top priority is adding another starting pitcher to compliment Garrett Crochet. Luckily for them, plenty of teams are selling starters at the deadline. One such team is the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are in contact with Boston about Merrill Kelly.

Both Kelly and Zac Gallen are up for grabs at the MLB trade deadline. After the Diamondbacks traded away Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Randal Grichuk earlier this week, the fire sale was on. The only big names remaining on their roster after those moves are Gallen and Kelly. However, neither pitcher could take the field for Arizona again.

The 6pm trade deadline looms large over the league. Teams around MLB have been active, making trades to upgrade their rosters. However, the Red Sox are one of few who have not struck any deals just yet. However, they are talking to Arizona about Kelly’s price tag with hours to spare, according to reporter Francys Romero.

Despite Boston receiving stellar contributions from Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito, they need another starter. Crochet is in the running for the American League Cy Young Award again. Outside of him, though, the Red Sox do not have another pitcher they can fully rely on in a postseason setting.

Kelly solves that problem with ease. He was a part of the dominant rotation that led the Diamondbacks to the World Series back in 2023. While Gallen has struggled, Arizona’s ace has been just as good as ever. His 9-6 record and 3.22 ERA are both top-25 marks in the league.

Boston sits five games out of the lead in the AL East. The team holds one of the AL’s wild card berths right now. However, the Red Sox’s expectations are much higher than that. Adding a former All-Star to their rotation would make them a formidable opponent down the stretch of the regular season.

Boston has a couple of hours to create a deal for Kelly. If they can convince the Diamondbacks to make it happen, they could walk away from. the MLB trade deadline as a huge winner.