We're clear of the All-Star break and the MLB Draft, and that means the next big date on the baseball calendar is the July 31 trade deadline. Speaking of which, each day leading up to the deadline brings us a fresh supply of deadline rumors,

It’s Monday, July 21 and the Red Sox (54-47) are in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies (56-43). Walker Buehler is slated to take the mound for Boston against Zack Wheeler for Philadelphia. This is the first meeting of the season between Philly and Boston as both are coming off series losses out of the All-Star break.

The Red Sox have another prospect on MLB’s top 100 list. Payton Tolle cracked the latest rankings on Saturday, coming in at No. 100. The left-handed pitcher joins Franklin Arias (No. 37), Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 97) an Roman Anthony No. 1). The Red Sox drafted Tolle in the second round (50th overall) out of TCU in 2024.

Alex Bregman, Wilyer Abreu hit home runs in the 8th inning that extended the Boston Red Sox's lead over the Chicago Cubs.

At pick No. 15 in the 2025 MLB Draft last week, they landed Kyson Witherspoon. The right-handed pitcher out of Oklahoma was projected by almost everyone to go in the top-10. And now, the Red Sox signed him just under slot value, getting him for a $5 million signing bonus, per MLB.com's Jim Callis (slot was $5.11 million).

If the Red Sox aren't able to get Twins ace Joe Ryan, there are a handful of other options for them out there ahead of the trade deadline.

Bard spent five seasons with the Red Sox — his last being 2013. He retired in 2018 before the pitcher returned to the mound in 2020 with the Colorado Rockies, where he spent four seasons and was named the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year. In 2023, the last time Bard pitched in an MLB game, he amassed a 4.56 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 50 games.

The Boston Red Sox aren't going to be trade deadline sellers, but one of their American League East rivals sure is headed that direction. It's been a brutal sea