The Boston Red Sox have won 11 straight games for the first time since 2016. To top that, they reached the .500 mark for the first time since March 28. That is certainly historic for a club that spent the better part of the first half of the season as the worst team in the AL East. As of now, they are not far behind the third AL Wild Card spot, currently held by the Minnesota Twins (49-49). Once predicted to be sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, those plans may no longer be a certainty, according to this insider.

“For now, their plans are fluid. Boston isn’t discounting pursuing help before Aug. 3,” Jeff Passan observed, per Tyler Milliken on X. “The Red Sox also know that, for an entire half of the season, they personified mediocrity and that 15 games does not a season make.”

Sure, 15 games do not change a season, but for the Red Sox, they dragged them up from the trenches of the AL East. After extending their winning streak to 11, the Red Sox hold a 48-48 record this season. It appears that Chad Tracy’s methods are finally starting to pay off. Their 5-3 win on Friday against the American League’s best, the Tampa Bay Rays, pushed them to the .500 mark.

According to OptaStats, “No other MLB team in the 21st century has gone from being 10+ games under .500 to being even .500 without losing a single game.”

However, their recent on-field success does not eliminate the effects of the poor first half. The Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, is still reportedly undecided on how to proceed at the trade deadline.

Before their comeback bid, Aroldis Chapman was one of the players whom the Red Sox were likely to trade. However, according to insider Jon Morosi, that trade is now unlikely to happen.

Shedding more light on the situation, ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted, “So, like many others, they’re weighing their options, knowing that if they stumble, they can pivot into dump mode and make a killing with [Aroldis] Chapman as well as potentially [Sonny] Gray, Willson Contreras and Garrett Whitlock.”

Chapman (2.12 ERA), Contreras (.285 AVG), Gray (2.54 ERA), and Whitlock (2.12 ERA) have been the Red Sox’s hottest players even before their comeback. They can either take the team to the playoffs or become key trade pieces. Though teams have not yet started the trade wars, the August 3 deadline is approaching fast. The Red Sox would need to come to a decision soon, or risk missing out. And while that happens, the 34-year-old first baseman has made his stance clear.

Willson Contreras on potential trade

Willson Contreras waived his no-trade clause while coming to the Boston Red Sox from the St. Louis Cardinals. Amid the Red Sox’s lackluster first half, he was their one bright spot before the franchise began its comeback bid. Now, ahead of the trade deadline, Contreras believes he has found “his home” in Boston and is not keen on going anywhere else.

While the Red Sox could have benefited from Contreras as a trade piece, the player has shut those possibilities down.

“They know the answer. The front office knows the answer,” Contreras said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “I already spoke about it. I don’t think I’m interested in going anywhere.”

His contract also provides the Red Sox with added flexibility. The five-year, $87.5 million agreement keeps him under team control through 2027 and includes a $17.5 million club option for 2028 with a $5 million buyout. His full no-trade clause, however, expires after this season.

With a .925 OPS, Contreras has hit 21 home runs and 62 RBI in 89 games this season. Against the Rays, he hit a homer, going 1-for-4 on Friday.

With that, momentum has shifted in Boston’s favor, but the toughest call may still lie ahead.