The Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline looking to add more pitching.
Boston acquired Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals to help out in the bullpen and landed Dustin May to help in the starting rotation. When it came to the May deal, the Red Sox rerouted outfield prospect James Tibbs III, who the club acquired from the San Francisco Giants in the Rafael Devers trade. At the time, the deal was a bit surprising.
Less than a year later, it looks like an absolute miss. May appeared in six games as a member of the Red Sox and logged a 5.40 ERA in 28 1/3 innings pitched. Tibbs has been dynamite in the Dodgers' system. He launched seven homers and drove in 32 runs in 36 games in Double-A in the Dodgers' system in 2025. So far this season, he has been a monster in Triple-A. Through 11 games, he's slashing .413/.481/1.000 with seven homers and 13 RBIs. Those are video game numbers.
One thing that makes the deal even worse for Boston is the fact that FanSided's Robert Murray noted that he has put himself "firmly" in the mix to help the Dodgers in the majors in 2026.
"Since then, Tibbs III has been incredible in the Dodgers’ system," Murray wrote. "He’s hit .413/.481/1.000 with seven home runs and 13 RBI. He’s put himself firmly in the conversation to contribute in the majors this season. I have heard little about him possibly being a trade candidate at the deadline. My assumption is the Dodgers would like to keep him and have a young, emerging and also inexpensive talent on the roster – similar to Andy Pages – considering how expensive the overall roster is in Los Angeles."
So, the Red Sox traded Devers and got Tibbs and then traded him for six appearances from May. Now, he could be a piece for the two-time reigning World Series champions this season. Not a great look for Boston.