News and notes from around Red Sox Nation.
Yesterday, we heard reports that Craig Breslow and the Red Sox had decided to hold on to Jarren Duran amidst swirling trade rumors. What today’s news presupposes is: what if AJ Preller doesn’t believe them? According to reports, the Padres are still targeting Duran as an outfield upgrade. The Sox reportedly already rejected a package centered around Dylan Cease in exchange for Duran, but if there’s one thing Preller is known for, it’s getting his guy and not being afraid to pay a high price to do so. (Denis Lin, The Athletic)
As for whether the Sox intend to ship out any prospects to add big league talent to the roster, it’s worth nothing that one minor league pitcher has added a ton of trade value this year. Greenville’s Brandon Clarke, a lefty who has struck out 56 hitters in 35 innings this year, has cracked Baseball America’s top-100 prospects list at number 81. (Baseball America)
Clarke is still a long way from the big leagues, but Cooper Criswell isn’t, and he’ll take Richard Fitts’ spot on the roster after last night’s outing to add some much needed depth to the Sox pitching staff. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
But Criswell isn’t any kind of rotation savior. And as last night’s loss to the Twins shows, the Sox really need some kind of pitching help at the trade deadline. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Is there still any hope of the Sox swinging a deal for Twins starter Joe Ryan? Not that this really means anything, but Ryan and Garrett Crochet did spend a lot of time together at the All-Star Game. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
But Joe Ryan — or any top-of-the-rotation arm — is not going to come cheap. And over the course of the past few trade deadlines, the Red Sox have not been willing to pay a heavy prospect price for pitching. But doing exactly that is what helped the last two World Series champions get over the top. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)