Watching Chris Sale pitch against the Red Sox on Thursday in the midst of another likely All-Star season, it’s still mind-boggling to think that Boston got nothing of value in return for Sale.
In fact, they gave Atlanta money to take on Sale while getting only prospect bust Vaughn Grissom in return. But Sale is just the tip of the iceberg.
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The Red Sox have nothing to show for the Rafael Devers trade but roster flexibility. Connor Wong is the only remaining player on the roster from the ill-fated Mookie Betts move.
There are more. Xander Bogaerts left and returned only a comp pick that became struggling prospect Kristian Campbell. At least he’s still in the organization. Nathan Eovaldi comp-pick Justin Reimer is long gone.
It’s possible to make a full Major League roster of players who the Red Sox traded or let walk with very little to show for it. It wouldn’t be a great roster, but it would be competitive with the 23-32 team that currently plays home games at Fenway.
The roster below doesn’t even include Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Christian Vazquez or Eduardo Rodriguez. At least with those four guys, the Red Sox can look at the returns for those players — Teel and Meidroth were part of the trade for Garrett Crochet. A Vazquez trade produced Wilyer Abreu and the compensation round draft pick they got for Rodriguez was Roman Anthony.
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Below is a roster of ex-Red Sox currently in the majors who brought back nothing or next-to-nothing for Boston.
Starting PitchersChris Sale
traded with cash to Braves for Vaughn Grissom
Sale, who has rekindled his Hall of Fame chances, was 7-3 with a 1.89 ERA with 72 strikeouts coming into the game. Each of those had him in the top 10 among major league starters. His WAR is 12.2 since leaving Boston.
Nathan Eovaldi
Eovaldi remains a good starter on a lousy Rangers team at 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
In four seasons since leaving Boston, he’s 40-21, with a 3.20 ERA and 8.7 K/9 with a 7.7 WAR.
Wacha was good in his one season in Boston going 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA and 3.2 WAR, but they made minimal effort to keep him as he signed in San Diego for $6.5 million less than he made in Boston.
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This year in Kansas City, he’s 4-2 with a 2.69 ERA and 60 strikeouts with a 2.1 WAR.
Harrison was the best piece of the Rafael Devers trade. That deal would look so much better now if Craig Breslow hadn’t been fleeced by the Brewers in the Caleb Durbin trade.
At 6-1, with a 1.57 ERA and 61 Ks, he’s a possible All-Star.
Quinn Priester/Nick Pivetta
Priester, who is currently injured, was traded for Yophery Rodriguez, John Holobetz and a draft pick. Pivetta, who left as a free agent is out with a flexor strain.
The Brewers have done a terrific job stealing pitchers from the Red Sox. Priester was 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA, 132 Ks and 3.0 WAR last year, but is out with thoracic outlet syndrome. Unless the Red Sox had some health concerns about him, they gave away a young productive starter.
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Rodriguez is having a solid year in High-A, but he’s years away from contributing. Holobetz has been unremarkable in Double-A.
Pivetta was 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA, 190 Ks and a 5.0 WAR last year.
BullpenKenley Jansen
Signed with Tigers as a free agent
After earning 29 saves while going 5-4 with a 2.59 ERA last year, he’s 1-3, with a 4.80 ERA and seven saves.
At 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 9.4 K/9, he’s still a valuable member of the Royals bullpen.
Traded for David Sandlin before the 2024 season
Schreiber has been solid out of the Kansas City bullpen at 0-2, with a 2.95 ERA and a save.
The former Red Sox farmhand has been solid for Seattle at 1-1, 3.33 ERA.
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Shane Drohan
Traded with Harrison to Milwaukee for Caleb Durbin
The other piece of the Durbin deal is off to a good start in Wisconsin with a 2-1 record and a 2.63 ERA.
LineupC – Reece McGuire/Sandy Leon
McGuire left as a free agent. Leon was dealt for a non-prospect.
Admittedly, neither of these guys are anybody the Red Sox would like to have back.
1B – Rafael Devers
Traded for Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, Jordan Hicks and Jose Bello
Devers, like most of his Giants teammates, is having a down year — 7 home runs, .695 OPS. But its hard to picture that he and the Red Sox wouldn’t have been better off together. Boston was happy to dump his contract and never reinvested his money into offensive help.
2B – Vaughn Grissom
Grissom was traded to Anaheim for a long-shot prospect
Grissom, who was a huge bust in Boston after the ill-fated Sale trade, has started to show some signs of life in Anaheim, where he has three home runs and a .674 OPS. Those numbers are better than Marcelo Mayer’s two home runs and .581 OPS.
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SS — Xander Bogaerts
Signed with San Diego as a free agent
The popular former Red Sox shortstop and leader is having a bit of a bounce-back season with seven home runs and nine steals. He could finish with 20 home runs and 20 steals. The Red Sox miss his leadership and clubhouse presence as well as his offense.
3B – Alex Bregman
Signed with the Cubs as a free agent
His production has dipped going from Fenway to Wrigley. He’s got just four home runs and a .703 OPS. Still it’s hard not to think he’d have been a valuable resource when Roman Anthony was slumping or a voice that could help mature Jarren Duran.
LF – Kyle Schwarber
Signed with Philadelphia as a free agent
Back in the old days, when winning championships was a much higher priority for the Boston owner, the Red Sox would have found a way to keep Schwarber after his cameo in 2021.
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In four full seasons in Philadelphia, he’s averaged 47.25 home runs per season and is on pace to surpass that this year with 21 to go with his .957 OPS. The punchless Red Sox could sure use a jolt of that.
RF – Mookie Betts
Traded for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong
Betts missed a month with an injury so his numbers (six home runs, .649 OPS) aren’t cause for panic yet.
He could have landed in several positions on this roster. Even if Betts would never have re-signed when he was a free agent, it’s criminal how little the Red Sox got in return for him.
CF — Enrique Hernandez
Traded to the Dodgers for lesser prospects
This spot could have been Rob Refsnyder, Andrew Benintendi or Tyler O’Neill. Not a lot of good choices.
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DH — Nathaniel Lowe
Signed with Reds as a free agent
He was never going to be a long-term fit in Boston, but his 8 home runs and .912 OPS are better than most Red Sox right now.
Bench:
Dominic Smith, David Hamilton, Rob Refsnyder
NCAA should take more care with Brendan Sorsby
On Tuesday, the NCAA denied Brendan Sorsby’s appeal.
They’re hoping that the Texas Tech quarterback coming out of gambling rehab will declare himself eligible for the supplemental draft and become the NFL’s problem to worry about.
And that’s probably what will happen. While Sorsby might beat the NCAA in court if he chose to make the fight, timing is a problem. He’s only got until June 30 to declare himself eligible. If he doesn’t turn pro now, he might be left idle until 2027, wasting an important year of his development and his career.
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But the NCAA should welcome him back. His situation is something they should try to learn from, not run from.
Legalized gambling, the transfer portal and NIL arrived in college sports in awfully close proximity. Suddenly athletes had a lot more money, were harder to monitor and had easy access to gambling.
There was always going to be a Brendan Sorsby. Athletes crave the rush of competition and now they can do it on their phones. Schools and conferences and the NCAA as a whole have varying amounts of preventative education. And nobody can force a player to absorb it, but just kicking him to the curb like rotten fruit can’t be the best answer? There are other Sorsbys out there.
If the NCAA cares about the student athlete, a year in college with increased monitoring is almost certainly the best option for Sorsby. In return, he should let the NCAA behind his curtain. Show them all the trap doors and potholes that are out there for at-risk athletes to fall through.
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It’s going to be a rough couple of weeks
In the long term, will it be worse if the Knicks win the NBA title or lose it? Their fans will be hard to be around either way.
Because it’s New York, they have an outsized opinion of their importance on the sports landscape and the fact that they haven’t won anything in decades has made them that much more insufferable.
The Knicks fans might be the worst in all of American sports. Throughout the NBA finals, we’re going be treated to all of their performative celebrity fans mugging for the camera. It’s like if the 2004 Red Sox had 25 Ben Afflecks.
Knicks fans are worse than Lakers fans.
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Knicks fans are worse than Yankees fans.
Go Oklahomantonio.
The Top 5Top 5 Celtics coaches never to win Coach of the Year.
5. Jim O’Brien
4. Doc Rivers
3. KC Jones
2. Brad Stevens
1. Bill Russell
Sports clues from actual editions of America’s favorite quiz show. As always, mind the date
CATEGORY: NBA Finals – $800
Date: May 28, 2026
Fans in Philly for Game 4 of the 1980 Finals saw one of the most amazing moves ever as this Doctor went up, then under & around two defenders & the backboard for a gravity-defying reverse layup
— Answer below
Today in Massachusetts Sports History
May 29
1980 — Larry Bird beat out Magic Johnson for NBA rookie of year.
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Lightning round
If the opening proposals mean anything, this is going to be a long work stoppage for baseball.
If you’re looking for a takeout sandwich and you’re anywhere the North End, My Mother’s Cutlets, makes an amazing sandwich.
I just read an article on graduation speech wisdom and I liked this quote from Patti Smith: “Maybe curiosity killed the cat, but the lack of curiosity will kill us.”
Real Jeopardy! Question:
Who is Julius Erving?
Finally…
Happy National Paper Clip Day to those who celebrate.
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