Just one game shy of matching their longest winning streak since 1946, the Red Sox have completed a remarkable turnaround. And mind you, this is the same team that looked headed for a fire sale just a month ago. Now four consecutive series sweeps have propelled Boston back into playoff contention and completely changed the conversation surrounding its trade deadline plans. Yet despite the historic surge, Craig Breslow’s plans still seem to be up in the air.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good position, and that’s going to be very influential in how we approach the deadline,” he said, as per Chris Cotillo on X. “The reason that we say we want to give ourselves as much time as possible to see who we are and to watch our identity emerge is because we believe that it can change, and it can change really quickly.”

On June 22, Boston was 31-45 and sitting near the bottom of the AL Wild Card race. Today, the Red Sox are 51-48 and riding a remarkable 14-game winning streak. They have not only leapfrogged the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles but also claimed the final American League Wild Card spot.

Sonny Gray, one of the key pitchers for Boston, had said that they were not a good team, but just after a month, he reframed his stance, saying: 

“We weren’t a good team, and that was a fact. But we’ve always had it in us, and we are a good team.”

Before the winning streak, Gray, Contreras, and Chapman appeared to be potential trade candidates. Now, however, they have become an integral part of the team’s resurgence. While trading them could bring back a strong prospect haul, it would also strip the team of much of its identity.

Contreras, in particular, has made it clear that he does not want to leave Boston. According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, he told the Red Sox he would not waive his no-trade clause and wants to finish his career in Boston. During the All-Star festivities, Contreras also expressed optimism about the team’s direction, saying:

“We’re not where we want to be, but we are on our way there.”

Obviously, their recent performance changes the trade perspective. That’s why Breslow wants to observe the next few days before exposing his plan for the deadline. 

“More time means we can get more information,” the chief baseball officer for the Red Sox added. “There are very few teams at this point who have kind of stepped out and declared themselves willing to sell or made players clearly available. So we’re having exploratory conversations and collecting information.”

Almost the entire first half, the Red Sox were surrounded by a growing noise of giving up and rebuilding for the next season. But now that they have entered the playoff picture, remaining in contention is their priority. That’s why Breslow isn’t in a hurry to make uninformed decisions. 

Boston sets its priorities clearly

Going through the results from the last few weeks, the Red Sox seemed to have improved in all departments. However, Breslow noted that while the pitching has remained strong, the offense has been occasionally inconsistent. 

Jarren Duran has been one of the biggest concerns for the team. He is batting at .191 with a .594 OPS. Marcelo Mayer has the same OPS, while his batting average is slightly better at .220. Trevor Story managed just a .206 AVG and 19 RBIs from 41 games before he was placed on the injured list. Although the Red Sox have a +46 run differential, these instances are still keeping them on their toes. 

Plus, Breslow wants to be certain of a few players before they approach the market:

“The next 10 days or so are going to be really critical in informing that, understanding where guys like Ranger [Suarez] and [Connelly] Early are in the short term, understanding where Roman [Anthony] is, and Garrett [Crochet] is, and Trevor [Story], because that’s going to help dictate not just what we do, but where we focus.”

Notably, Suarez is expected to make a return on July 21, while Early is scheduled for late July or early August. Most of the other players are expected by August or September. The return of healthy players will further strengthen the roster, and that’s something Craig Breslow wants to factor in before making a decision.

“The guys have been playing really, really well. Our job is to do everything we can to make the best decisions for the organization,” the 45-year-old added.

And that’s the biggest priority they currently have.