The 2025 trade deadline was ugly, outrageous, and maybe a little embarrassing — and most Boston Red Sox fans would agree. They walked into the deadline with a playoff spot in reach and with the fans hopeful. After all, team president Sam Kennedy said on The Greg Hill Show that they had the “ability to [make moves] in terms of a blessing from ownership” to go after the postseason upgrades, but what did they walk out with? Seems like just a pair of Band-Aids and a whole lot of confusion.

The Minnesota Twins were busy turning their roster upside down. They were shipping out major leaguers and saving $26 million in 24 hours. The Boston Red Sox looked like they were ready to take on their players. Even FOX Sports had speculated Boston would land Joe Ryan. MLB.com also hyped the fact that Jhoan Duran–Aroldis Chapman seemed like a possibility.

Jon Heyman teased that the Boston Red Sox are a team to watch till the final hour of the deadline, but after that? Crickets.

The only real action Boston got was in two players: Steven Matz from the Cardinals and Dustin May from the LA Dodgers. Sure, they are good enough, but are they playoff good? Not really. And hence it is impossible to ignore the feeling around Fenway that something has been off for a while now. Bob Nightengale pointed out a fact: “They fired GM Dave Dombrowski less than a year later and haven’t been the same since.” Not far off, is he?

The last time Boston had a winning record after the trade deadline was 2018; that’s the year they won the World Series. And that was under Dombrowski’s leadership. Since then, though, Boston’s front office has been restrained and hesitant. This season, they mentioned that they would be spending both in the off-season and at the trade deadline—and here they are.

Talking about the reinforcements, Matz has put up a bounce-back year for the Cardinals’ bullpen with a 3.44 ERA over 32 appearances. He brings flexibility, but he is not the name that screams post-season hero. Dustin May is an upside gamble, and he was once a top-tier pitching prospect, but now he is coming off a long road of injuries. From flexor surgery to esophageal condition, he has been through a lot. And he has had a good year this time with a career high of 104 innings, but with a 4.85 ERA and inconsistent command, it’s difficult to predict if he is the missing link Boston needs.

Boston was linked to Zac Gallen, Dylan Cease, Merrill Kelly, and more. But none of those high-impact players landed in Boston. And for a team sitting at 60-51 and holding second place in the Wild Card race, these moves don’t scream urgency.

Joe Ryan thought he was a Red Sox’ for a moment, and so did everyone else!

Joe Ryan was not traded to the Boston Red Sox this time, but for a split second or so, he thought he would have to pack his bags and leave for Boston. See, in the final hour before the deal wrapped up, the Red Sox re-engaged with the Twins in talks for All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan. But that was not the really interesting turn of events.

FOX Sports had mistakenly posted a graphic on X that mentioned that Joe Ryan was headed to Boston. That post didn’t stay for long, as it was taken down, but really, that confusion had settled in. Not just fans, even Ryan was fooled. He told the Minnesota Star Tribune that when he saw the post, he thought it was the real deal.

Ryan mentioned, “It’s been a whirlwind. I felt like I threw a whole game (Thursday) with a lot of emotions. I was kind of in a weird state of mind and physically pretty exhausted, too.” He was with teammate Griffin Jax when it all happened. Then, after a while of the graphic vanishing, Jax was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. “We were hearing so many different things. The weird part is what we expected. It feels a little bit different than what some of us were led to believe.”

The Twins, though, did shock everyone by shipping out not one or two but 10 big leaguers from the roster. From shortstop Carlos Correa to Jhoan Duran. But Ryan is under team control through 2027, so he is staying put for now at least.