The Red Sox have done more than play their way into postseason contention over the last seven weeks. They’re in position to land a bye into the Division Series.
The Chad Tracy All-Stars went into Saturday with the third-best record in the American League, a half-game behind the Yankees and five games behind the Rays. The top two division winners receive a bye.
The Red Sox are 5-4 against the Yankees with four games left in New York Aug. 28-30. They are 5-5 against the Rays with a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., Sept. 18-20.
Let’s take a look at the AL contenders (and a few semi-contenders):
▪ Astros (60-57)
Deadline deals: Acquired OF Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays).
Outlook: Houston tried seven center fielders before trading for Varsho, a premium defender having a poor season at the plate. The Astros don’t have trouble scoring, and Varsho should help with run prevention.
But they were otherwise quiet at the deadline beyond foisting Lance McCullers on the Brewers. The Astros could win a weak AL West with 85 wins, then hope Yordan Alvarez can slug them to a few victories.
▪ Guardians (58-59)
Deadline deals: Acquired OF Jo Adell (Angels), OF Blake Perkins (Brewers), LHP Foster Griffin (Nationals), 1B Nathaniel Lowe (Reds), RHP Craig Yoho (Brewers).
Outlook: Griffin could prove to be one of the best moves of the deadline. The Nationals sold high on the lefthander, who had a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts after returning from Japan.
Adell and Lowe (who played well for the Red Sox at the end of last season) add a veteran presence to a young roster.
▪ Mariners (56-61)
Deadline deals: Acquired OF Taylor Ward (Orioles) and RHP Seranthony Domínguez (White Sox).
Outlook: Much like the Astros, the Mariners were cautious at the deadline because it won’t take much to win the division. They’re banking on Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez to improve and support a rotation that has the fifth-best ERA in the league.
The Mariners haven’t looked like the team that took the Blue Jays to seven games in the AL Championship Series last season. But president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is banking on that to change.
▪ Rangers (58-58)
Deadline deals: Acquired C Logan O’Hoppe (Angels), RHP Chase Silseth (Angels), LHP Adam Macko (Blue Jays).
Outlook: Here’s another AL West team that improved around the edges and hopes that will be enough. Corey Seager, who was long overdue for a hot streak, has started to swing the bat better.
Kumar Rocker has never been what he was supposed to be. But the 26-year-old righthander has been sharp since the All-Star break.
▪ Rays (69-46)
Deadline deals: Acquired C-1B-DH Liam Hicks (Marlins), RHP Freddy Peralta (Mets), OF Jack Suwinski (Dodgers), RHP Tyler Wells (Orioles).
Outlook: After missing the playoffs for two seasons, the Rays have led the AL East since late June. Their magic trick this season is small ball. Tampa Bay has 33 sacrifices, more than twice as many as last season.
Hicks is the kind of player that manager Kevin Cash can maximize.
▪ Red Sox (64-51)
Deadline deals: Acquired OF Jahmai Jones (Tigers), INF Curtis Mead (Nationals), LHP Erik Miller (Giants), C Adley Rutschman (Orioles), OF Eli White (Braves), C Jake Rogers (Orioles).
Outlook: For all they’ve done so far in getting back in the race, it could get better. Rutschman has started a minor league rehab stint and is closer to joining the team. He could be this season’s version of Kyle Schwarber.
Roman Anthony has started to swing a bat and could be a factor by the end of the month. It might be expecting too much for Mead to return from a fractured wrist, but there’s a chance.
▪ Tigers (56-60)
Deadline deals: Acquired RHP River Ryan (Dodgers), RHP Brady Smith (Dodgers).
Outlook: Trading Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal doesn’t necessarily mean the Tigers are out of it. They were sellers in 2024, still made the playoffs, and won the Wild Card Series against the Astros. A.J. Hinch can play the “nobody believes in us” card. But it’s a lot different when Framber Valdez is your rotation anchor.
▪ Twins (58-59)
Deadline deals: Acquired RHP Jeff Hoffman (Blue Jays), RHP Dean Kremer (Orioles), LHP A.J. Minter (Mets).
Outlook: Under new control owner Tom Pohlad and general manager Jeremy Zoll, the Twins were cautious buyers at the deadline and improved the pitching staff enough to take a run at the Guardians, whom they play only three more times, in the AL Central.
Minnesota retained catcher Ryan Jeffers, who was in demand, and righthander Joe Ryan.
▪ White Sox (59-56)
Deadline deals: Acquired C Joey Bart (Braves), RHP Huascar Brazobán (Mets), OF Brenton Doyle (Rockies), RHP Luis Castillo (Mariners), RHP José Urquidy (Pirates).
Outlook: The rules are that somebody has to win the AL Central. The White Sox have the highest-scoring offense in the league and, for the first time in ages, added at the deadline.
They believe Bart, Castillo, and Doyle will rebound from what have been below-average seasons.
▪ Yankees (65-51)
Deadline deals: Acquired 1B Luis Garcia Jr. (Nationals), OF Heliot Ramos (Giants).
Outlook: The entire season seems to hinge on when Aaron Judge returns from a fractured rib. The Yankees have averaged only 3.8 runs since he landed on the injured list on June 1.
The arrival of shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. on Tuesday was cause for celebration if only because that meant Anthony Volpe was sent back to Triple-A.
DEAL TO MAKE?
Rutschman extension makes sense
Rutschman is in an advantageous position to land a contract extension in the coming months — that is, if the catcher wants one.
The Red Sox traded three of their best prospects for Rutschman, who can become a free agent after the 2027 season. He was on the injured list at the time of the trade and remains there. Rutschman could be limited to 35-40 regular-season games for the Sox this year.
Given the rancor between Major League Baseball and the Players Association, there is unfortunately a good chance the start of next season will be delayed.
Giving up Carlos Narváez and prospects Enddy Azocar, Anthony Eyanson, and Kyson Witherspoon won’t seem like such a good trade if Rutschman plays only 125 games for the Sox then leaves via free agency.
Rutschman said it’s still too early to talk about a contract, and he’s right about that. He also has started only 54 percent of his team’s games since the start of the 2025 season. The Sox should want to see how he looks for a few weeks before opening the vault.
The first step is to get him on the field.
“Then we’ll figure out exactly what the future looks like,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. “We want to get him as comfortable as possible. We want to get to know him and give him a chance to get to know us.”
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ It was not news when the Sox signed Azocar out of Venezuela for a modest $40,000 in 2024. Alex Requena, who scouts in Venezuela, and assistant general manager Eddie Romero were credited with the signing.
Requena also signed Triple-A shortstop Franklin Arias and Double-A catcher/first baseman Ronald Rosario, among others.
▪ Here’s hoping Narváez goes on to success with the Orioles. He played with a knee injury for much of last season and still caught 112 games, 106 as the starter. That drew plenty of admiration from his teammates and the coaching staff.
His offensive production declined sharply in the second half, but Narváez was determined to stay in the lineup. He also was unfailingly honest and professional in his interactions with the media.
“He’s just an incredible guy,” Breslow said. “We saw how much he cares about the team playing through a torn meniscus last year, and having surgery scheduled on the day after [the season] and limped off the field. It’s hard to say enough really good things about Narvi. But this was part of what was required in order to get this deal done.”
▪ News you may have missed during all the trade deadline ruckus: The Rangers designated Chris Martin for assignment Monday, and Tuesday the Mariners released Rob Refsnyder.
Martin, 40, seems to be at the end of an 11-year major league career. He was 7-2 with a 2.16 ERA and five saves in 100 games for the Sox from 2023-24 and was a major influence on fellow pitchers such as Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten.
“One of the best people I’ve been around in the game,” Whitlock said. “You could talk to him about pitching, about life. About anything.”
Refsnyder hit .276 with an .804 OPS from 2022-25 for the Sox. He was almost always in the lineup against lefthanded starters and quickly became a clubhouse leader.
The 35-year-old was signed to a one-year, $6.25 million deal by Seattle and had a .465 OPS over 53 games. Refsnyder said last year that he would be interested in a front office position once he retires from playing. Given his reputation, he will not lack for opportunities.
▪ Ceddanne Rafaela’s recent hot streak has coincided with his wearing bright yellow cleats and a yellow sleeve on his right arm. He is not auditioning for the Savannah Bananas. It’s a tribute to his favorite player, Ronald Acuña Jr.
“I always liked the way he wore bright colors and showed some style,” Rafaela said. “That’s why I do it.”
▪ True story: I was at Dodger Stadium last Sunday morning when Sonny Gray came walking down the hallway pulling his suitcase and equipment bag behind him and went through the double doors that lead to the home clubhouse.
Had the Sox just traded Gray to the Dodgers? What was going on? There was a brief moment of panic.
Turns out Gray was going back to Boston early to rest up for his start against the White Sox on Wednesday instead of taking a red-eye flight from Los Angeles with the rest of the team. The car taking him to the airport was outside the Dodgers clubhouse.
▪ Condolences to the family and friends of Dr. William Southmayd, a former consulting physician with the Red Sox. He died June 9 at the age of 83.
Dr. Southmayd was a graduate of Newton North High and Harvard, where he was captain of the football team. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1968 and was an orthopedic surgeon in the US Army Medical Corps before making a career in sports medicine.
ETC.
Mayer’s change of scenery
With Willy Adames at shortstop, the Giants plan to use Marcelo Mayer at second base.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey said Mayer, acquired from the Red Sox for Miller, is close to being ready for some minor league rehabilitation games as he returns from a stress reaction in his left arm.
“We’ve got some options,” Posey said. “He’s a really interesting and exciting type of player. … Hopefully, a change of scenery can kind of give him a reset and he can be a productive Giant for a long time.”
With Luis Arraez traded to the Phillies, the Giants have an opening at second base. Their other options are Osleivis Basabe (the cousin of one-time Red Sox prospect Luis Alexander Basabe) and Christian Koss (a Red Sox minor leaguer from 2021-23).
The Red Sox host a three-game series against the Giants starting Aug. 21. The right side of their infield could be Mayer and Rafael Devers by then.
The Sox are 116-88 since they traded Devers. The Giants are 89-117 since acquiring him.
When the Red Sox traded Devers, part of their motivation was that his increasingly sour attitude in the clubhouse would influence Mayer, Rafaela, Anthony, and other young players.
Extra bases
Here’s what the Tigers landed for Skubal, the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner, last Saturday: a soon-to-be 28-year-old righthander who has thrown only 233 innings since being drafted in 2021 (Ryan). The fourth-best outfielder in the Dodgers system (Zyhir Hope) and a righthander who is 0-10 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 31 professional games (Smith). Ryan is valued because of the quality of his pitches but hasn’t been able to stay on the field. Skubal, who is represented by Scott Boras, is the ultimate rental. But it feels like Detroit could have done better had they entertained offers into Monday. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has refuted that, saying he had what he considered the best offers for the lefthander from the Dodgers, Brewers, and other teams involved … The Braves had a deal in place to get Jacob deGrom from the Rangers, but the righthander invoked his no-trade clause to stay in Texas, saying he wanted to win there. The 38-year-old righthander is signed through 2027, and if that’s his choice, good for him. But deGrom does not have a ring, and the Braves are much better positioned to compete for a championship than the Rangers, at least for this season. He also is from Florida, so spring training with the Braves would be more convenient than being with the Rangers in Arizona. As for the Braves, they still don’t have a clear No. 2 starter behind Chris Sale … There were 104 trades made from June 1-Aug. 3. That’s up from 92 last season when the deadline was July 31. Fifteen of the players this year were All-Stars at some point in their careers … Pitchers don’t hit anymore unless they’re Shohei Ohtani — or 37-year-old Miles Mikolas. The Nationals forfeited their DH in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s game against the Phillies. When that spot in the order came up again in the 11th, manager Blake Butera sent Mikolas up with CJ Abrams on third base. He bunted a 1-1 fastball toward first base, and Abrams slid home safely. Washington scored six runs in the inning for a 10-4 victory. It was the first plate appearance for Mikolas since 2021 and the 16th successful sacrifice of his career. Mikolas also scored a run for the first time since 2019. He borrowed a bat from one teammate (Jacob Young) and a helmet from another (Andrew Pinckney). The bunt helped the Nationals snap a seven-game losing streak. Mikolas started Thursday and allowed six runs on 12 hits over five innings. All that base running can wear you out … Righthanded reliever Dylan Smith of the Giants has allowed walkoff hits against the Mariners, Padres, Rangers, and Rockies since July 5 … Happy 79th birthday to Buddy Hunter. The second baseman played in 24 games for the Red Sox from 1971-75 and was 5 of 17 with two doubles. Hunter was a third-round draft pick in 1969 from John J. Pershing College, a small liberal arts school that had a good baseball program (Dwight Evans was the fifth-round pick that year). He made his debut with the Sox against the Tigers on July 1, 1971, at Tiger Stadium when he pinch ran for Luis Aparicio. Hunter finished his career with only 24 plate appearances spread out over three seasons. Most of his career, a whopping 839 games, was spent in Triple-A playing in Louisville and then Pawtucket.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.