2026 Red Sox/MLB Season Thread

[slamtheking]

The Dodgers are acquiring two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers for three prospects, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Detroit is getting outfielder Zyhir Hope (L.A.'s No. 5 prospect and MLB's No. 25), right-hander River Ryan (No. 7, MLB No. 68) and right-hander Brady Smith (Dodgers' No. 17).

Why even play the season?

No kidding. Just hand them the trophy, along with a thank-you note for next year?s cancelled season.

as a Brewer fan, despite all the talking-head speculation, I knew the Brewers wouldn't pony up the asking price but it's just frustrating that Skubal ends up on the Dodgers for a pittance of a payment.  it's like watching teams give away their top players to the Lakers for peanuts.

I don?t see this being about the prospects the Brewers would give up. There is no way the Brewers could sign him in the off-season. It is a classic rental. You aren?t going to trade your best prospects for a couple of months of a pitcher.   A team like the Yankees could have beat the trade offer, but even they were probably worried about signing him.

exactly.  Brewers could have submitted far better prospects in a trade proposal but to do so for a 3-month rental would be reckless mismanagement knowing there's 0% chance of resigning Skubal.  Skubal making it well known he intended to sign with the Dodgers once he hits free agency only makes this trade even worse for the league in general.

[Roy H.]

Buster Olney
@Buster_ESPN
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The Red Sox and O?s have a deal arranged for Adley Rutschman. Prospects, medicals set. Red Sox just need to say yay or nay.

[Vermont Green]

Buster Olney
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The Red Sox and O?s have a deal arranged for Adley Rutschman. Prospects, medicals set. Red Sox just need to say yay or nay.

Sounds promising, decent hitter (upgrade over current options for sure), arbitration for 1 more season, but I believe he is currently injured.  I am sure that is the concern.  Switch hitter that hits better against righties.

Adley Rutschman is currently on the 10-day injured list due to left wrist inflammation, his third IL stint of the 2026 MLB season.

Placed on the 10-day IL on July 20, 2026 (retroactive to July 19).

Resumed hitting activities on Saturday, July 25/31 weekend and is progressing toward a potential rehab assignment.

Has begun throwing on the field, though he is not yet cleared to catch.

[Vermont Green]

Actually, looking closer at Rutschman's splits, other than this season, he hits better against lefties overall for his career.  This season, he is 0.799 batting left and 0.701 batting right.  Every other season, this is switched, he hits much better batting right (vs. Left) overall for his career.

Anyway, a pretty good hitter in any case.

[Vermont Green]

I guess it is done.  Still not sure what BOS is sending back...

The Boston Red Sox are acquiring three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Rutschman is currently on the IL with left wrist inflammation.

Rutschman, who earned his third All-Star nod with the Orioles this season, provides elite defense and has regained his old form at the plate this season. However, he became expendable in Baltimore when the Orioles signed young slugger Samuel Basallo to a long-term deal prior to this season.

A former No. 1 overall draft pick, Rutschman, 28, is under team control through the 2027 season. Given the rigors of the catching position, the switch-hitter is good at almost everything in the batter's box, with his expected xOBA at the All-Star break being the second-best rate of his career, behind only his 5.5 WAR season in 2023.

He has been on the injured list three times this season for left ankle inflammation (April), a concussion (June) and wrist (July).

When healthy, Rutschman is hitting .251 with 8 home runs and 47 RBIs this season. Overall, in five MLB seasons, all with Baltimore, he has a career .254 average with 69 home runs and 277 RBIs.

[Donoghus]

Eyanson, Witherspoon, Azocar, & Narvaez

[Roy H.]

Eyanson, Witherspoon, Azocar, & Narvaez

Our #2, #4 and #5 prospects... 

So, to immediately second guess this, would we have been better off trading for Hicks and kept our top prospects?  I think so.

[Donoghus]

Eyanson, Witherspoon, Azocar, & Narvaez

Our #2, #4 and #5 prospects... 

So, to immediately second guess this, would we have been better off trading for Hicks and kept our top prospects?  I think so.

As someone is a former multi year owner of Adley in fantasy, it seems like a wild overpay for him.  But who knows.

[Vermont Green]

At first glance, it is a lot, but Rutschman is a 3-time all star in the prime of his career.  It is kind of tricky as both the acquisitions (Mead also) are currently injured.  Neither are rentals, both should be around for while, but it would be nice to have these two bats for the stretch run this season.

I was expecting that it would be expensive to get back any kind of value.  Liam Hicks cost 3 prospects also.  I am guessing based on comments that the prospects were not as highly ranked? 

[Roy H.]

I was expecting that it would be expensive to get back any kind of value.  Liam Hicks cost 3 prospects also.  I am guessing based on comments that the prospects were not as highly ranked?

Correct. 

Tampa Bay Rays get:
C Liam Hicks

Miami Marlins get:
IF Brayden Taylor
IF Adrian Santana
RHP Jacob Kisting

Those are ranked as the Marlins' 16th, 26th and 27th best prospects.

https://www.mlb.com/news/marlins-trade-deadline-2026

Maybe none of the Sox players ever become anything, and we're only talking about one top-50 MLB prospect.  I'd just feel better if he wasn't so injury prone (and currently injured).

[Vermont Green]

I'd just feel better if he wasn't so injury prone (and currently injured).

This is a legitimate concern.  I don't have any sense of what is going on with him.  Obviously the Sox have assessed that he will get over the current spat of injuries and he will be a long term all star level catcher.  I hope their medical assessment is correct.  I will remain optimistic.  It may turn out in the long term that we regret they gave up these prospects but in the near term, Rutschman should be a nice bump in production at the catcher position (when he is back from injury) and maybe a defensive upgrade as well.  You don't usually get both.

[byennie]

Wow, a lot to unpack. I guess the bullish case is:

* We drafted both of these guys in 2025 and seem confident we have enough pitching + know how to draft more
* The C position is not deep. Adley is probably top 5-10 offensively and defensively, both.

And then there's...

* We traded 3 of our top prospects for an injured catcher batting .250 with 8 homeruns

Our pitching obviously has been excellent (hopefully by the time we lose Gray, we get back Crochet) and if we're basically adding Adley, Mead, Anthony (return), Story (return), Arias between now and next season, we're 9+ position players deep. Not a lot of superstar power, but a pretty darn solid 1-9 in the best case.

Hopefully Eyanson has a nice career but nothing to fret about for the next decade ofc...

[Silas]

I'm not concerned about giving up prospects.  Currently, Boston has the 3rd best record in the AL and just off a sweep of the Dodgers. Now is the time to get to the world series where our pitching can beat the Dodgers.  Sox needed a catcher and assuming Adley is healthy they now have one of the best catchers in the majors.  Sox did not give up Arias which was a good move. 

If you look back over the past few years, most of our prospects didn't produce like we had hoped. 

2025...1-Roman is still injured, 2-Mayer is looking like he may be average at best, injured a lot.  4-Campbell is looking like a bust, and 3-Teel and 5-Garcia were traded.

2024... 1-Mayer, 2-Roman, 3-Teel traded, 4-Rafaela a star! 5-Bleis still in Portland, probably a bust.

2023...1-Mayer, still waiting, 2- Casas a bust, 3- Bleis see above, 4-Rafaela a star! 5- Yorke, traded to Pittsburgh

2022...1-Mayer, 2- Casas a bust, 3- Yorke, 4-Bello, up and down, 5- Downs, traded

Bottom line, Sox now have the opportunity to win and they traded for what they needed.