Red Sox Trade Target: Joe Ryan

Craig Breslow should be targeting the Twins ace.

Here we go again! The Red Sox are once again on a heater right before the All-Star break. They are reeling the fans right back in and giving them a sense of hope. As a fan, I am holding in my excitement because the schedule right after the break is a gauntlet and will ultimately decide the path the Red Sox take.

When you truly dissect the Red Sox roster, they need upgrades. This team needs bullpen help, which even goes back as far as the winter if we’re being honest. With reinforcements coming in Yoshida and Bregman, the Red Sox will likely not target a bat at the deadline. Most importantly, they need a starter. The path for this team should not be to acquire a rental, but a player with years of team control. I present to you: Joe Ryan.

Boston Should Be All Over Joe Ryan

A rental is not the path the Red Sox should go down. Sure, they could be a team that sneaks into the playoffs, but I don’t believe they are at the “Let’s go get a rental and hope it pushes them to the top” phase. Instead, the Red Sox should be buyers, but buying for this season and beyond. Joe Ryan fits that bill perfectly.

Jon Morosi on MLB Network has reported that the Red Sox are monitoring Ryan and what the Twins are doing this deadline and whether he is available.

The 29 year-old is arbitration eligible in 2026 and isn’t a free agent until 2028. That fits the Red Sox window perfectly and if the return of the Rafael Devers trade tells us anything it’s that the team is buying for beyond this season.

It’s ironic how the Red Sox rotation has flip flopped over the past two seasons. All last season, the rotation was filled with guys who felt like legitimate number two and three starters but there was clearly not a true ace. Now, the Red Sox have one of the best aces in baseball and now need a number two starter. Many thought Tanner Houck would be that guy but he has been a big disappointment in 2025. How much can Boston truly trust the run that Lucas Giolito is on? When things even out, he feels more like a good number three. Brayan Bello has been great as of late, but he too feels more like a #3. That’s exactly where Joe Ryan comes in.

Ryan has been a steady anchor in the Twins’ rotation slotted behind Pablo Lopez. Over the last four years, Ryan has pitched 130+ innings and he’s finished with an ERA above 4.00 just once. Right now, he’s in the middle of his best season. Ryan currently has a 2.76 ERA while having the lowest WHIP of his career (0.89) and batting average against (.192). The more in-depth numbers are even better.

Ryan is a pitcher who does not walk a lot of batters and ranks in the 90th percentile in walk rate. Pairing with that is his 28.6% strikeout rate, which is allowing him to have the the best season of his career in terms of K-BB%. His 4-seamer has been untouchable and his sweeper pairing with it has been just as deadly with a 37.8% whiff rate. He’s pitching like an ace, ranking in the 96th percentile for pitching run value.

When you think of the Red Sox going into a playoff series, who’s pitching the second game? Right now, it remains a mystery. That’s where Ryan comes in. Ryan is the perfect pairing with Garret Crochet. If the Red Sox went into a playoff series with Crochet, Ryan, Bello, Giolito as the main four, I think most would feel pretty confident.

There is a logjam in the Boston outfield. They currently have four players who can be starters for three spots. Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela appear to be a big part of the future of this organization. It seems like Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran could be on the move as they could be at the center of trade package. I don’t think a 1-1 deal would make sense because pitchers like Ryan are super valuable. But I think Duran or Abreu and a prospect or two could get a deal done. In order to get something good from another team, you have to give up something you probably do not want to. It’s just how trades work.

Joe Ryan is my ideal trade target and the player I want the most this deadline. If the Red Sox are truly going after pitching, go for a starter that has team control. This is a deal that can happen whether the Red Sox find themselves in the mix or not at the deadline. Going into next season with a legit 1-2 combo of Crochet and Ryan would be a great start. And if this young team can find a way to sneak into the playoffs this year, going into a postseason series with Crochet and Ryan would give the Red Sox a real chance to make some noise in October.