The Boston Red Sox have swung trades left and right since the 2025 Major League Baseball season came to a close with a tough loss at the hands of the New York Yankees.
Boston used the offseason to bolster the starting rotation and infield through multiple trades. The club got done two separate deals with the St. Louis Cardinals around Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. Boston landed Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Red Sox also acquired Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Despite all of these moves, the rumors haven't slowed down. For Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval, they especially have been loud. Boston has a surplus of starting pitching and dealing Sandoval would save some cash. The veteran starter opened up about the rumors on Tuesday, as transcribed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.
“I haven’t pitched in a year and a half. I don’t have a right to declare a spot in this rotation,” Sandoval said, as transcribed by Cotillo. “The guys we brought in this offseason and the room we have with pitchers, it’s amazing. I think it’s going to bring a lot of healthy competition and hopefully bring out the best in everyone. ...
"I hear them but I can’t control it. I chose to sign here for a reason, because I wanted to pitch for this team and be a part of this team and help bring a championship back to Boston ... I can’t control it, so there’s nothing I can really do.”
Sandoval doesn't have a clear path to the Boston rotation with Spring Training kicking off. While this is the case, he seems to be handling the noise well. It would be nice to get payroll relief by flipping the veteran, but rotation depth also is important. Spring Training is just kicking off. There is plenty of time left to make difficult decisions like this.