The Boston Red Sox were active at the 2024 MLB trade deadline, but did they do enough to give themselves an edge in the American League playoff race?
First-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made five trades ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. Although none were the blockbuster moves many Sox fans likely were hoping for, they addressed needs for this season while adding another high-upside player to the pipeline.
Get to know all five deadline additions below.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
MORE RED SOX
James Paxton, LHP
OK, Paxton technically isn't "new." The 35-year-old left-hander spent 2022 and 2023 in Boston but was plagued by injuries during his tenure. He missed all of 2022 due to Tommy John recovery and had multiple stints on the injured list last season because of hamstring and knee issues.
Paxton signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. Ironically, he was their most durable starting pitcher with 18 starts before being traded to the Red Sox -- just one fewer than all of 2022 and 2023 combined.
In those starts, "Big Maple" amassed an 8-2 record with a 4.43 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He notched 64 strikeouts to 48 walks, so he'll need to work on his command with Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey over the next couple of months.
Paxton isn't the ace many Red Sox fans were clamoring for, but this was a low-risk trade with fairly high upside for Craig Breslow and Co. He's a solid depth addition to the back end of the rotation and all he cost was 17-year-old minor-league shortstop Moises Bolivar.
Paxton will make his 2024 Red Sox debut against the team he started his big-league career with, the Seattle Mariners, on Tuesday night.
Danny Jansen, C
Breslow stated numerous times leading up to the deadline that a right-handed bat was among Boston's biggest needs. He got one in Danny Jansen, though the veteran catcher likely isn't what many had in mind.
Jansen, 29, had a .212/.310/.373 slash line with six homers and 18 RBI through 61 games for the Toronto Blue Jays this season. While those numbers won't excite Sox fans who hoped to add a difference-maker to the lineup, they don't tell the full story.
As Breslow explained shortly after the trade, Jansen's swing and approach at the plate make him an intriguing fit.
"Danny gives us a right-handed bat that should play very well at Fenway," he said. "He hits the ball really hard and in the air, which is especially advantageous in our ballpark. We liked our catching situation coming into the deadline but saw an opportunity to strengthen that group."
The advanced metrics back up Breslow's statement. Jansen has pulled the ball 51.9 percent of the time this season with a 35.8 fly-ball percentage, per Baseball Savant. Theoretically, he should have a blast hitting with the Green Monster in left field. He also doesn't swing and miss often as he ranks in the 95th percentile in chase rate and 76th percentile in whiff rate.
The Red Sox designated Reese McGuire for assignment after the deal, so Jansen will take over as Connor Wong's backup. Boston parted ways with a trio of prospects -- infielders Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino and pitcher Gilberto Batista -- to acquire him.
Quinn Priester, RHP
In a swap of high-upside prospects, the Red Sox acquired Priester from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for second baseman Nick Yorke.
Priester, 23, probably won't factor into the starting rotation this season unless absolutely necessary. The 2019 first-round draft pick hasn't fared well through 20 big-league appearances (14 starts), posting a 6.46 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over the last two seasons. He's a work in progress that Boston hopes will benefit from a change of scenery and a chance to work with Andrew Bailey.
That won't appease the restless fans yearning for a pitcher who can make an immediate impact on the rotation. However, Priester is an intriguing addition for those willing to look beyond 2024. The former top prospect is under team control until 2030, giving Bailey and the Red Sox coaching staff plenty of time to make the tweaks needed to help him regain his dominant form.
Priester has found success at the Triple-A level this season, posting a 3.21 ERA and 2.85 FIP with 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
Lucas Sims, RHP
The Red Sox addressed their most pressing need -- bullpen help -- by acquiring right-handed reliever Lucas Sims from the Cincinnati Reds. They shipped minor-league right-hander Ovis Portes to Cincinnati in the deal.
Sims, 30, has a 3.57 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 43 appearances (35.1 innings) this season. He has excelled at inducing weak contact, boasting an 86.1 mph average exit velocity that puts him in the 95th percentile among pitchers.
Sims' home/road splits this season are staggering. In Cincinnati, he owned a 0.83 ERA and a .162 batting average against with a 0.92 WHIP. On the road, he had a 7.90 ERA, .321 BA, and 2.20 WHIP.
Expect Sims to help a bullpen that has been noticeably taxed as of late. He wasn't the biggest name on the relief market, but he'll upgrade the roster without costing Breslow and the front office an arm and a leg. Given the hefty price for pitching ahead of this deadline, that's a win for Boston.
Luis Garcia, RHP
Just before the 6 p.m. buzzer, the Red Sox made one last deal for a reliever. They reportedly acquired veteran righty Luis Garcia from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for prospects Ryan Zeferjahn, Matthew Lugo, Yeferson Vargas, and Niko Kavadas
Garcia, 37, has a 3.71 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 40 strikeouts and 14 walks in 45 appearances (43.2 innings) this season. Alongside Sims, he'll add much-needed depth to Boston's taxed bullpen.
Garcia debuted with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2013. He spent his first six MLB seasons in Philly before his first stint with the Angels in 2019. From there, he played for the Texas Rangers in 2020, St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, and San Diego Padres in 2022 and 2023 before his second stint in Anaheim.