The Boston Red Sox made the first major move of the trade deadline season in Major League Baseball on Saturday night, acquiring power-hitting infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-handed starter Connelly Early. As Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow met with the media on Sunday to discuss the trade, he signaled that the trade for Mead would not be the end of the additions to the Red Sox roster. 

“This move makes our major league roster better,” Breslow said of the deal to acquire Mead. “We think this is a move to make us better in 2026, and we’ll continue to look for these opportunities,” he continued. 

The comments from Breslow seem to signal that the move to acquire Mead is not the end of the Red Sox' additions to their 2026 roster, and a stark contrast to the tone he struck just one week ago, when he told MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo that their path was still to be determined. 

As for where the next upgrades could come? Breslow was more ambiguous about that, saying, "We're going to continue to look for opportunities to upgrade the team; that's kind of where we are, and there are a few different paths to do that." He continued, citing the fact that a jumbled group in both the American and National League playoff picture has led to uncertainty about who may or may not become available ahead of the trade deadline.

"I don't think anyone would sit here and say 'we don't need anymore offense', or 'we don't want anymore offense'," Breslow said when asked if the addition of Mead will be the team's only addition to the lineup.

Though he did hint that additions to the pitching staff may take priority over another addition to the lineup, saying, "We have to be mindful of losing Connelly [Early] and losing those innings; we have to be mindful of the workload that we put on our bullpen." 

"I think we'll look across a pretty wide scope here and figure out if anything makes sense for us," he concluded. 

Whether it be shortstops Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros, Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels, or catchers like Shea Langeliers of the Athletics or Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies. The Red Sox have shown a clear interest in making additions at two positions in particular: shortstop and catcher.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Langeliers will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a torn meniscus, likely removing him from the trade block. However, Goodman remains a major, controllable right-handed power bat that should have multiple suitors vying for his services. 

As far as pitching upgrades go, Breslow will likely look to an innings-eating veteran to ease the increasing workload on Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle. With 104.2 innings in 2026, Tolle has already surpassed his career-high of 91.2 innings. Bennett's 98.2 innings pitched are 19.1 innings shy of his career high of 117, which came in 2022 during his time at the University of Oklahoma. While Boston has not been linked to any of the available starters, Toronto's Kevin Gausman and Kansas City's Michael Wacha could represent appealing options for Breslow to target. 

As for bullpen options, the Red Sox are led by a four-headed monster of Tyron Guerrero, Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman, who have combined for a 2.72 ERA across 119.1 innings pitched. Thanks to the strength of the foursome, it's unlikely Breslow would pursue any of the big names expected to move, like Padres star closer Mason Miller. However, after designating veteran left-hander Danny Coulombe for assignment on July 11, Boston could use a high-leverage left-hander to better help interim manager Chad Tracy play matchups in front of Chapman. 

Where exactly the Red Sox will add remains to be seen, but it is clear that Breslow is motivated to continue to improve Boston's outlook for both the 2026 season, and beyond. 

The MLB Trade Deadline is Aug. 3 at 6:00 p.m. ET. 

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