With the Boston Red Sox sitting between 22-27 and needing offense badly, president Sam Kennedy says the organization is having conversations about adding a hitter “earlier than ever.” The team is coming off a sweep of the Kansas City Royals and is set to face
When the Red Sox swept the Kansas City Royals, it briefly made the season feel turnable. The result was there—wins adding up—yet the problem that has haunted Boston all year didn’t disappear: scoring runs has still been a grind.
The Red Sox (22-27) have come up short offensively throughout the season, and the lineup’s struggles have been clear. With the departures of Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman last year and injuries to sluggers like Roman Anthony this year. the team’s ability to do damage has been uneven at best. often leaving runners stranded in scoring position.
Third baseman Caleb Durbin has been among MLB’s worst hitters and has found himself on the bench in favor of Nick Sogard in recent games. Shortstop Trevor Story—after a spectacular 2025 season at the plate—has undergone hernia surgery and could miss significant time. adding another layer of uncertainty to a lineup that has already lacked consistent production.
Those factors have combined into a disappointing stretch through 49 games. Boston’s starting pitching. by contrast. has largely looked as advertised. though ace Garrett Crochet has dealt with lingering throwing shoulder inflammation early in the season. Even with the rotation holding up. the offense has been the piece costing Boston games. particularly in a season where the American League playoff picture is tight: the Red Sox are only two games out of the league’s third wild-card spot.
For now, Boston’s win streak is the bright spot to hold onto. After sweeping Kansas City, the Red Sox are looking to extend it to four in Friday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins.
Off the field, though, the urgency is unmistakable. President Sam Kennedy said Friday that the team is already speaking with other organizations about adding a bat—and that the timing is the key.
“There’s been conversations going on earlier than ever before on that front,” Kennedy said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” He pointed to how the American League’s competitiveness compresses everyone’s options.
“It’s obviously hard – the American League is so bunched up,” Kennedy said. “There’s some National League teams that are, I’d say, more engaged in conversations than typical at this time in the year.”
Kennedy also framed the decision as a practical one for baseball operations. “But yeah. the question is: are Craig (Breslow) and his team in baseball operations trying to improve the team right now?. The answer is yes. Will we be able to get a deal done or match up on something?. I have no idea, is the truth. There’s conversations.”.
He added: “There’s urgency, and that’s something that’s important.” Kennedy said the organization hopes something could be done “earlier rather in later,” and emphasized there are two pathways—upgrading with the current group and bringing in new faces. “We’re gonna try both of those.”
The statistical picture explains why Boston feels pressure. The Red Sox are middle-of-the-road in some offensive categories but have been dangerously limited in the areas that turn close games. They are 15th in batting average (.240) and 19th in on-base percentage (.314), but third-worst in slugging percentage (.366). They’re 13th in strikeout rate (22.3 percent) but 24th in walk percentage (8.2 percent).
The power and scoring issues are the clearest gaps. Boston has 181 runs, the second-least in MLB (behind the San Francisco Giants’ 173), and the Red Sox’s 36 home runs are by far the second-lowest total in the league; the Milwaukee Brewers have 33.
Trading for a major-league proven bat would be the most direct way to address that. especially if Boston wants a chance at making the playoffs for a second straight year. The timing is still early in practical terms—figuring out which teams are sellers and which players become available usually comes later—but it’s not unprecedented for deals to happen this soon.
The trade deadline is Aug. 3, and the Giants and Cleveland Guardians completed a trade involving catcher Patrick Bailey earlier this month.
Spotrac has listed several hitters as current trade candidates based on contract situations and team performance: 2B Luis Arraez of the Giants; 1B Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays; CF Byron Buxton of the Twins; 3B Eugenio Suarez of the Cincinnati Reds (the Red Sox were linked to him in free agency this past offseason); 1B Christian Walker of the Houston Astros; and 3B Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Boston, like other teams in this window, has not yet decided whether it will be a buyer or a seller. But the act of talking—already, and “earlier than ever”—is a sign that the franchise isn’t treating the offensive problem as something to wait out.
Boston Red Sox Sam Kennedy Craig Breslow MLB trade hitting offense Trevor Story Caleb Durbin Nick Sogard Garrett Crochet Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins trade deadline Aug. 3 Spotrac trade candidates
Need a bat like… yesterday.
I swear every year it’s “urgent” and then they do nothing. Devers and Bregman being gone is probably the real issue but they keep talking like it’s some simple fix.
Wait, so Durbin is bad and they benched him? That sounds like normal Red Sox management tbh. Also hernia surgery for Story? That doesn’t even sound baseball-related… are they sure it’s not just another injury lie to avoid trading?
They swept KC and it still “didn’t disappear” like the offense is cursed. Meanwhile pitching is “fine” so why not just score less? lol kidding. But seriously, if Story misses time and Durbin’s on the bench, who’s even left to hit? They better add someone earlier than ever because 22-27 is rough and the wild card math is doing me in.