Three Small Trades in a Week, Whitlock Locked In, Two Finalists and No Sonny: The Red Sox Offseason So Far

The Red Sox are clearing 40-man roster space fast. On Tuesday, they traded lefthander Eduardo Rivera to the St. Louis Cardinals for Juan García, an 18-year-old Mexican righthander who has pitched in the Dominican Summer League the past two years, The Boston Globe reported. It's their third minor trade in the first week of the offseason.

The Bloom connection

This is the third trade in the past year between Red Sox boss Craig Breslow and Cardinals boss Chaim Bloom, who used to run the Red Sox, according to the Globe. They also did the Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras deals last offseason.

Rivera, 23, appeared in four games for Boston this year. He was designated for assignment Monday, which starts a seven-day clock to trade or waive a player. The Sox needed less than 24 hours.

The other two: outfielder Nate Eaton went to the Athletics for minor league pitcher Jareth Rayo, and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng went to the Tigers for cash, the Globe and Boston.com reported.

None of these move the needle on their own. Boston.com put it well: the Red Sox are "trading pawns so they can try to land a bishop or knight." Roster spots are currency in November.

Whitlock stays

The Sox exercised Garrett Whitlock's 2027 club option on Sunday, Boston.com reported. Whitlock, 30, went 7-2 with 26 holds, four saves and a 1.72 ERA in 54 games, allowing 10 earned runs in 52.1 innings. Among major league relievers he ranked fifth in ERA.

That's an easy call, and frankly the bullpen core of Tyron Guerrero, Justin Slaten, Erik Miller, Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman is one of the reasons Boston.com argues this team isn't as far off as people think.

Sonny Gray is gone, for now

Gray is a free agent. His mutual option was declined and he gets a $10 million buyout, Boston.com reported. He had a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts and led the majors with 18 wins in his age-36 season, according to FanSided's BoSox Injection.

He also didn't make the Cy Young finalist list. The three finalists are Parker Messick, Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease, per BoSox Injection.

The way Gray's season ended still stings. Boston.com wrote that Tracy "may still be kicking himself" for pulling Gray in the fifth inning against the Yankees. Gray made his frustration clear afterward. Whether there's a path back here is one of the real questions of this winter.

Boston.com made an interesting comparison with the champs. The Milwaukee Brewers just won the first World Series in franchise history while hitting the second-fewest home runs and posting the second-best ERA in baseball. The Red Sox hit the fifth-fewest homers and had the third-best ERA. The difference: Milwaukee led MLB with a .258 batting average, and Boston was middle of the pack. That's the gap Breslow has to close.

Two finalists

Manager Chad Tracy is a finalist for American League Manager of the Year, alongside Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash and the White Sox' Will Venable, BoSox Injection reported. The winner is announced Nov. 10.

Tracy's case: the Sox were 10-17 on April 25 when Alex Cora and five coaches were dismissed. They got to .500, 48-48, on July 17 under Tracy, then ripped off a 15-game winning streak and a 32-5 stretch around the All-Star break to get into playoff position.

Payton Tolle is a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year, against Detroit's Kevin McGonigle and Cleveland's Messick. Tolle had a 3.03 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 148.2 innings.

The Sox also re-signed minor league pitcher Yordanny Monegro, who briefly hit minor league free agency, BoSox Injection reported. He had Tommy John surgery in 2025 and threw only 6.2 innings this year between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland.

The gloves

Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu won Gold Gloves again, and Caleb Durbin won his first at third base, Boston.com reported. Abreu's 28 defensive runs saved led the majors at any position. Rafaela and Abreu are the first Red Sox pair to win in back-to-back years since Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans in 1978-79. Durbin is the first Sox third baseman to win since Frank Malzone in 1959, and he had foot surgery Thursday.

What we don't know

Whether Breslow lands the starter this rotation needs. These small trades only matter if they open a door for a bigger one.