Caleb Durbin put one over the Green Monster with two outs in the eighth, and the Red Sox beat Baltimore 6-5 to extend the second-longest winning streak in franchise history. One more ties Ted Williams's 1946 club for the longest winning streak in franchise history. Willson Contreras had three hits and drove in two. Payton Tolle struck out nine. Aroldis Chapman needed a little help from Tsung-Che Cheng's glove, but the door still closed.
Fourteen in a row.
Here's the number that actually stops me: on June 24, this team was 37-48. They had the worst record in the American League and sat 15½ games out of first. Writers, myself included, had Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman halfway into mock trades.
Since then? Nineteen wins in twenty-one games.
Boston is 51-48 and holding the third Wild Card spot outright.
I don't know what to call this yet. I just know that a month ago I was writing this team's obituary, and now I can't stop watching, no matter the score.
We're Buying. The Clubhouse Earned It.
This isn't a debate anymore.
A month ago, I was drawing up trade packages for Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman. Today, the Red Sox are in a playoff spot. You don't punish a clubhouse that drags itself back from the dead. You reward it.
Craig Breslow shouldn't be deciding whether to buy. He should be deciding how much pain he's willing to inflict on the farm system.
So here's the real question:
Are we shopping at Savers, or on Newbury Street?
The answer should be both.
That's how good deadlines work. Find value where everyone else isn't looking, then know when it's worth paying full price. Build your list. Set your budget. And stick to your plan.
The Savers Clearance Rack
Every deadline has one of those "Who the fook is that guy?" pickups. The one nobody gets excited about on deadline day, then two months later he's batting .315 in October and everyone's pretending they knew all along. These aren't the names that sell jerseys. They're the ones that quietly win games.
Ryan Jeffers (Twins, C) — Just back from a fractured hamate bone (hand, for those of us who skipped medical school). There's some injury risk here, but if he's healthy, this is exactly the kind of move contenders should make. Legitimate power, a manageable acquisition cost, and a much smaller prospect price than the bigger names on this list.
Isaac Paredes (Astros, 3B) — Not the superstar, just a really good baseball player. He gets on base, adds much-needed right-handed balance, and is under team control through 2027. If Houston actually listens, Boston has the prospect depth to make a competitive offer without touching the very top of the farm.
Newbury Street
This is where things get expensive. The names get bigger. So do the prospect packages.
Shea Langeliers (Athletics, C) — If Craig Breslow is going to push his chips in, this is the guy. An All-Star catcher with 22 home runs, under team control through 2028, and right in the middle of his prime. Extension talks have reportedly stalled as his camp bets the new Las Vegas money will only drive his value higher. The Athletics , meanwhile, has reportedly become more willing to listen after its recent slide. The asking price starts with one of Anthony Eyanson or Kyson Witherspoon, maybe both…
Hunter Goodman (Rockies, C) — The dream scenario. Thirty home runs from behind the plate, under control through 2029, and exactly the kind of bat that changes a lineup for years, not months. The problem? Colorado has absolutely no reason to discount him. If you're making this call, you're probably saying goodbye to both Eyanson and Witherspoon. That's a move you make only if you believe you've found your catcher for the next five years.
Willy Adames (Giants, SS) — Hard pass. Boston already has one expensive, aging shortstop contract. It doesn't need another. The back-loaded years of Adames' deal, with salaries climbing into the high $20 millions and low $30 millions beginning in 2027, make this a problem I'd happily let someone else solve.
And Then There's Raffy
Okay.
I have to.
The Giants are reportedly listening.
It hasn't exactly gone according to plan in San Francisco. The first-base drama that started in Boston followed him west, the clubhouse questions haven't really gone away, and a contract that once looked like a franchise cornerstone suddenly looks a lot more complicated.
The talent, though, is still obvious. Even in a frustrating season, Devers has reminded everyone what he's capable of, including a recent nine-game stretch where he hit .364 with six home runs. Maybe he was never meant to be the face of a franchise. Maybe he's just better suited to being the most dangerous bat hitting fourth in someone else's lineup.
If the buyer's remorse in San Francisco is as real as it seems, and a team well under .500 shopping multiple $180 million-plus contracts suggests it might be, there's a world where the Giants eat a meaningful chunk of the money just to move one.
Would the Red Sox actually do it? I have no idea.
Would it be the most chaotic story of the deadline? Absolutely.
Somewhere Gerrit Cole is already sick to his stomach.
Bringing Raffy back would be like getting back together with your college girlfriend. They've done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.
Where This Leaves Us
This deadline doesn't need to be reckless. It just needs to be intentional.
Add a bargain-bin piece. Then make a real run at Shea Langeliers. Hunter Goodman? I'd love it, but that feels more like fantasy baseball than reality.
Three weeks ago, this looked like a team preparing for October vacations. Instead, they've ripped off fourteen straight, fought their way into a playoff spot, and forced the front office to think bigger.
The clubhouse did its job.
Now it's Craig Breslow's turn.