The Boston Red Sox addressed some of their hitting needs by landing Curtis Mead in a trade on Saturday, but an insider revealed that the team has more work planned to boost the lineup.
The Red Sox added the hot-hitting Mead in a trade with the Washington Nationals, shipping away left-hander Connelly Early to land the 25-year-old. ESPN’s Jeff Passan revealed that this is just the beginning for the Red Sox, a team that initially appeared to be trade-deadline sellers before ripping off a 15-game winning streak to get back into playoff contention.
Red Sox Planning More After Landing Curtis Mead
As Passan wrote, Mead’s place in the lineup is still not entirely clear. He added that the Red Sox will be making more additions with the goal of boosting the team’s offense even more.
“Whether Mead is the solution, and where he finds most of his at-bats — he has played first, second, third and DH this season — are the questions still to be answered,” Passan wrote. “The Red Sox are not expected to stop with this deal, either, continuing to consider larger deals for another bat, sources said.”
Passan added that Mead will fill an immediate need for help in an offense ranking No. 25 in MLB in runs scored.
“Over the past month, Boston’s offense has steadily improved — led by Willson Contreras, with Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and especially Caleb Durbin having moments — but the allure of Mead’s pull-friendly swing at Fenway was enough to deal from its pitching depth,” Passan wrote.
Red Sox Flipped the Trade Script
The Red Sox appear to be headed toward something of a sell-off at the start of July, lingering 14 games below .500 and losing ground in the AL playoff race. But after a loss on July 1, the team ran to 15 straight wins to move back into a wild-card spot.
Interim manager Chad Tracy said the streak has shown the front office that this is a contending team, scrapping plans to sell and instead looking for talent ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
“I think this group right now believes that whatever the [front office] decides to do, we’re focused on what’s in front of us and are going out there trying to win a game,” Tracy said, via CBS Sports. “Maybe more of that will come up 10 days from now. I also think that the league itself, with so many teams still bunched in there, everybody maybe still feels like they’re going to go get players because they’re still in it.”
Julian McWilliams of CBS Sports added that the Red Sox have some targets in mind, including one they’ve had eyes on since 2025.
“A league source confirmed that the Red Sox have had interest in Angels shortstop Zach Neto dating back to last season,” McWilliams wrote. “Neto, 25, is under team control through 2029 and would fill a glaring hole at shortstop. Andruw Monasterio and Tsung-Che Cheng aren’t everyday players. Neto, meanwhile, pairs above-average defense with power, as evidenced by his 19 home runs this season, a combination that would undoubtedly play at Fenway Park, particularly to the pull side.”
Red Sox Next Trade Plans Revealed After Curtis Mead Deal