Trade rumors: Red Sox, Rutschman, Blue Jays, Phillies

The Aug. 3 Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away, and it may not be long before the dominoes start falling.

Here's a look at some of the latest topics swirling in the rumor mill, including the Red Sox’s ongoing surge, the Orioles' willingness to deal Adley Rutschman, the Blue Jays’ continued struggles and more.

Now looking like buyers, what are Red Sox’s biggest needs?

The Red Sox looked like guaranteed sellers not long ago, but a 14-game winning streak -- and a 19-2 record in their past 21 games -- has turned them into probable buyers. The extent of that buying spree is an open question, though there's a reasonable argument they should be aggressive.

This year’s American League is quite weak, and the Red Sox suddenly look like one of the league’s most dangerous clubs, with a stellar pitching staff and an offense that has rebounded from its first-half doldrums.

True, the Red Sox could get Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony back for the stretch run, but nothing is guaranteed. Besides, even if those two make it back from their respective injuries, it’s unlikely to happen until late in the year. So the Red Sox should be looking elsewhere for reinforcements.

Surveying the club’s roster, second base and catcher are two areas Boston could look to address. The Red Sox rank 28th in wRC+ (67) at second and 21st (79) at catcher this season.

The Giants’ Luis Arraez, the Tigers’ Gleyber Torres and the Nationals’ Luis García Jr. are potential options to fill Boston’s second-base void.

The Red Sox’s options to upgrade at catcher may be more sparse. The catching market has been rife with speculation (see more below), but among impact bats behind the plate, only the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers (a pending free agent) appears to have a good chance of being dealt.

Granted, there could be other possibilities if the Red Sox are willing to pony up, like the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman (controllable through 2029). What might Goodman cost? The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required) offered up a hypothetical package of left-hander Connelly Early, right-hander Kyson Witherspoon (Boston’s No. 4 prospect), infielder Marcelo Mayer and catcher Carlos Narváez in exchange for the Colorado All-Star.

Latest on Rutschman, catcher trade market

This year's trade market is brimming with intrigue behind the plate. A bunch of contenders need catching help -- a trio of AL East teams (Yankees, Rays, Red Sox) chief among them -- and several top backstops are drawing interest.

That includes Rutschman, who will be eligible for free agency after 2027. The O's also have fellow backstop Samuel Basallo signed to a long-term deal, fueling speculation about Rutschman's future with the team.

According to ESPN, the O's aren't in a rush to trade the 2019 No. 1 overall Draft pick but are "certainly listening." Baltimore has surged of late, which would seem to diminish Rutschman's chances of being dealt. (His latest IL stint isn't helping, either.) But as ESPN notes, the O's wouldn't necessarily be trying to trade Rutschman for prospects. They could use him as trade bait to shore up their pitching staff with MLB-ready arms that are under team control beyond 2026.

Rutschman appears to have a higher likelihood of being traded than fellow All-Star backstop Shea Langeliers. While MLB Network insider Jon Heyman recently reported that the A's were "open to anything" and could possibly deal Langeliers after extension talks with the catcher went "nowhere," ESPN reports that the club has informed other teams it has zero desire to move him. Langeliers' club control is a key reason why -- he's controllable through 2028, which is expected to be the A's inaugural season in Las Vegas.

A trade involving the Rockies' Goodman (controllable through 2029) is also highly unlikely (ESPN puts the chances at 15%). Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, one of Colorado's goals this season has been to identify players who can be part of its next 90-win team. Goodman certainly fits the bill, which means they'd only move him if they get back multiple players who could accelerate their timeline.

"For Goodman, the Rockies wouldn’t want three Class-A lottery picks," Rosenthal writes. "They would want multiple high-end prospects who could help them reach 90 wins faster than Goodman could alone. The Yankees, who also need to address their bullpen and add more than one player to their offense, would hesitate to meet such a price. Other clubs would, too."

How will Blue Jays approach Trade Deadline?

We keep waiting for the Blue Jays to start playing like the team that almost won the World Series last year, but it just hasn’t happened. Toronto has lost three of four since the All-Star break and is 7-15 over its past 22 games.

The Blue Jays entered Tuesday 5 1/2 games out in the race for the third AL Wild Card spot, and only the Angels, Athletics and Royals have worse playoff odds (per FanGraphs) among AL clubs.

The Blue Jays’ continued struggles have left the front office with some tough decisions to make about which direction to take at the Trade Deadline. Buying short-term pieces seems unlikely at this point, but Toronto also doesn’t have a long list of coveted trade chips given the way most of its pending free agents have performed this season. If they do opt to sell, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and Daulton Varsho could be their best assets.

Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith outlined a middle path for Toronto on Monday -- one that could involve adding controllable pitching for 2026 and beyond, making a strength-for-strength trade with another playoff hopeful or absorbing a bad contract to land a player they genuinely want.

Phillies actively pursuing trade for back-end starter

The Phillies' Trade Deadline needs depend largely on which question you're asking. For their World Series hopes, bullpen help and a right-handed bat loom largest. But overtaking the Braves in the NL East may hinge on something more mundane: a reliable fifth starter.

The Phillies have gotten a 7.33 ERA from their fifth rotation spot in 2026, and they are 5-20 when someone other than Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo or Aaron Nola starts. So while they won’t need a No. 5 starter in the playoffs, the spot is still a significant concern.

As a result, they are “actively looking to trade for a back-end starting pitcher,” reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It’s unclear which pitchers the Phillies are targeting, but they are hoping to pull off a trade before the fifth spot in their rotation comes up again on Saturday against the Yankees.

Which young pieces will Yankees make available?

We know the Yankees are going to be Trade Deadline buyers, with a specific need to upgrade behind the plate and in the bullpen. The question is, which young assets are the Yanks willing to move to achieve those goals?

In a story breaking down the Yankees’ trade chips, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand notes that infielder George Lombard Jr. (the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect and No. 20 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100) and right-hander Carlos Lagrange (Yankees No. 4, No. 80 in the Top 100) “appear to be non-starters” in trade talks.

Assuming those two are off the table, that leaves two other Top 100 prospects in play as potential trade bait: shortstop Dax Kilby (No. 58) and righty Elmer Rodríguez (No. 73), along with former top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones.

Read more here.