BOSTON -- Another day, another trade rumor involving the Boston Red Sox. According to a new report from ESPN’s Buster Olney, Red Sox ownership has gotten involved in looking to help facilitate deals. 

Last week, Olney told Peter Appel of the Just Baseball Show that he was hearing the Red Sox were being aggressive in their pursuit of a right-handed hitter to bolster the lineup, signaling to teams that they were willing to take on money to do so.  

Olney added more to that report on Monday afternoon when appearing on WEEI's Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson Show. "Today I talked to someone, with another team, that told me that it’s to the degree that the Red Sox ownership has gotten involved," he told hosts Rich Shertenlieb, Ken Laird, and Ted Johnson. "One of the Red Sox ownership group is actually calling around and trying to grease the skids to something to add a right-handed bat," he continued. 

While Olney would not say which member of the Red Sox ownership group was involved in the trade discussions, as he had not confirmed the name, it is reasonable to assume that principal owner John Henry is the unnamed member of Fenway Sports Group.

While not always available to the media, Henry is heavily involved in the Red Sox' decision-making process. Most recently, the 76-year-old stepped in to get several deals across the finish line, including the free agent signing of Alex Bregman ahead of the 2025 season, and the trade that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco. 

Members of Fenway Sports Group getting involved in the trade discussions can mean a couple of things for the Red Sox. For example, when Boston was discussing the Devers trade with San Francisco, a phone call between Henry and Giants owner Greg Johnson led to the deal finally getting done after San Francisco felt Boston's Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, was not being reasonable in his ask for the star third baseman. Similarly, it was ultimately Henry who stepped in to get the Bregman signing across the finish line. 

Olney continued on to describe a market that was at a standstill, thanks to the mediocre American League and the addition of the third wild card in 2022. There are so few teams looking to sell off pieces, and there are still just under two months until the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Ownership's involvement seems like a tactic to push teams into making a decision sooner than they would like.

Olney's reporting comes in the wake of Hall of Famer David Ortiz telling reporters at a charity golf event that Henry and the rest of Fenway Sports Group remain committed to turning things around in Boston. After a tumultuous season with consistent calls from fans for FSG to sell the team, Olney's reporting is the first true example we've seen of ownership backing up Ortiz's comments, which is a positive. 

Whether or not ownership is able to "grease the skids" enough to make a deal come to fruition remains to be seen, but whenever this ownership group gets involved in player acquisition, it usually results in a deal.

The Red Sox will kick off a three-game set in Tampa, taking on the Rays on Monday night. Connelly Early (5-3, 3.26 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite Ian Seymour (3-0, 5.23 ERA) for Tampa. First pitch from Tropicana Field set for 6:40 p.m. ET. 

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