There’s nothing quite like a Yankees and Red Sox feud—except when it spills into front offices and trade calls. With both teams limping through roster gaps and eyeing the same shiny solutions, diplomacy is out, and deadline warfare is in. Boston wants depth, New York needs duct tape, and Arizona might be the accidental arms dealer. Let the Diamondbacks’ phones ring, because this rivalry just found a new battlefield.

The Red Sox and the Yankees are at it again. This rivalry has been going on for such a long time that if the two teams are mentioned in the same sentence, sparks fly. But now they are not just in the same sentence, they are in the same race for the same pitchers, and it is going to get interesting.

In a recent article by Bob Nightengale, he wrote that the Yankees and Red Sox might be trading with the Arizona Diamondbacks for two starting pitchers. He wrote, “The Yankees and Red Sox, each looking for a starting pitcher, have sent scouts to watch Diamondbacks starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in Phoenix.”

Both Sox and Bombers enter the trade deadline with mirrored needs and urgency. Both are buyers chasing playoff hopes while grappling with injuries and positional weaknesses across their rosters. Boston needs a first baseman, bullpen help, and rotation depth to support ace Garrett Crochet. The Yankees seek a third baseman, bullpen reinforcements, and a starter to stabilize their injury-ravaged rotation.

To address these needs, both teams have scouted Diamondbacks pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in Phoenix. Gallen owns a 5.15 ERA and 107–43 K-BB ratio through 100 inconsistent innings. Kelly, on the other hand, boasts a 3.34 ERA and 3.0 WAR across 20 strong starts in 2025. The Yankees have also monitored third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who hit 32 home runs with 80 RBI previously.

Gallen’s value is down, but recent outings suggest he could rebound with a change of scenery. Kelly is viewed as a reliable rental option, offering immediate help for rotations stretched thin by injuries. For Boston and New York, landing either pitcher would address a glaring weakness without gutting top prospects. If trade talks intensify, the AL East’s fiercest rivalry may ignite off the field before August arrives.

With both front offices circling the same desert prey, this arms race is anything but subtle. Gallen and Kelly aren’t just pitchers now—they’re pawns in a historic rivalry playing out behind closed doors. As the deadline clock ticks louder, one thing is certain: someone’s war room is leaving with bruised egos. Because in the Yankees–Red Sox world, even the trade block needs a warning label.

Rivalry aside, Yankees and Red Sox might be trading with each other

Baseball’s oldest feud might need a new genre: trade partners by day, enemies by night. The Yankees and Red Sox, who can’t even share a handshake without suspicion, suddenly find themselves not just chasing the same October dreams, but the same arms. With both eyeing Diamondbacks stars, and a bullpen bandage possibly crossing enemy lines, the rivalry may soon include fax machines and trade calls.

The Pinstripes entered the season with dreams of a dominant rotation, anchored by new $218 million ace Max Fried. But instead of firepower, they’ve gotten fragility—Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt both underwent Tommy John surgery, sidelining them completely. Even Fried is limping, shelved with a painful blister just before the All-Star break. What was once a powerhouse pitching staff now resembles a patchwork quilt stitched with bullpen prayers.

Enter Sean Newcomb, a journeyman lefty suddenly throwing like he means it again in Oakland. After a 3.95 ERA with Beantown and now a 2.70 ERA in 15 bullpen outings, his value is trending upward. Alexander Wilson proposes the Yankees trade outfielder Everson Pereira, a stalled prospect with potential. Newcomb’s versatility—spot starts or long relief—offers exactly the kind of duct tape New York needs.

For the Yankees, it’s low-risk help; for the A’s, it’s a live bat in return. Pereira is just 24, a former top-15 prospect who could blossom with everyday chances. And with both New York and Boston sniffing around the same stars and in each other’s clubhouse, things are getting personal. This time, the rivalry might play out through trade talks instead of fastballs.