The dust has settled following another disappointing deadline day for the Boston Red Sox. Now that fans have vented their frustrations with the team’s lack of an impact move and trade grades have been handed out, the question becomes: What can the new guys do for the 2025 Red Sox?
Those new guys are starter Dustin May and lefty reliever Steven Matz. May was acquired just ahead of Thursday’s deadline from the L.A. Dodgers for prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard, while Matz was picked up from the St. Louis Cardinals late Wednesday night for Triple-A slugger Blaze Jordon.
The American League is wide open this season, and the Red Sox are right in the thick of the Wild Card mix. But while other teams around them went out and made impactful moves, Boston’s two pickups aren’t exactly the kind of transactions that will push the team from a fringe playoff squad to a World Series contender.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the Red Sox aggressively tried to make such moves, which took the front office to an “uncomfortable” point with some of the offers. But they just couldn’t line up with teams.
So there is no Joe Ryan or Merrill Kelly taking the No. 2 spot in the Boston rotation. Where and how will these new arms fit on the Boston pitching staff? Breslow shed some light on the team’s plans for May and Matz following Thursday’s deadline.
What can Dustin May do for the Red Sox?
The 27-year-old May has postseason experience (and a World Series ring) from his time with the Dodgers, but he’s had a tough time staying on the mound the last few years. He had a Tommy John revision procedure done in 2023 (after having Tommy John in 2021) and then had to have emergency surgery for a torn esophagus last summer, which forced him to miss the entire 2024 season.
May has struggled in his 19 appearances (18 starts) this year, going 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.346 WHIP. He’s got a 5.54 ERA in his four appearances in July.
Breslow didn’t specify if he considers May a No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but said he’ll slot into the rotation with ace Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Walker Buehler. He pumped up May as someone who can limit hard contact and keep the ball on the ground.
“In Dustin May, we feel like we’ve got a tried and true and battle-tested starting pitcher coming from an organization that’s had a ton of postseason success, and somebody who can step into our rotation and add to our pitching group,” Breslow said of the veteran.
“He’s battle-tested, has premium stuff, and a bona fide starter that can take the ball for us every five days,” added Breslow.
The Red Sox haven’t named a starter for Friday night’s game against the Astros, but it’s probably not going to May. It’s unclear when he’ll make his Boston debut.
May has already pitched 104 innings this season, which is nearly double his previous career high of 56 innings during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. When he does take the bump for the Red Sox, Breslow said May won’t be on any limitations going forward.
May can provide some rotational depth over the next two months, but likely won’t figure into the postseason mix — if Boston gets that far. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season.
“Ultimately, what he does over the next two months and beyond is going to define his time here in Boston,” Breslow said of May.
What can Steven Matz bring to Red Sox bullpen?
Matz gives Boston manager Alex Cora another lefty out of the bullpen, and Breslow said the 34-year-old will pitch in late-inning situations. The southpaw has been both a starter and a reliever in his career, but all but two of his 32 appearances have come out of the bullpen this season.
“He’s obviously served multiple roles in the big leagues, but it seems like out of the pen, the stuff has ticked up,” Breslow said of Matz. “He’s got a really good fastball that plays to both sides. He’s a great strike thrower who’s been in kind of pressure situations before, so we feel like he’s someone that Alex can call upon in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning, and get really big outs for us. And if you kind of look at what he’s done out of the pen, he’s been really, really good.”
Matz was 5-2 with a 3.44 ERA, a 1.182 WHIP, seven holds, and one save with the Cardinals this season. In his two turns as a starter, he went 1-0 and had a 1.00 ERA over nine innings. He doesn’t walk many batter with just nine free passes in 55 innings, but he’s given up 56 hits. He owns a 1.318 WHIP for his 11-year career.
Most of his action with the Cardinals this season came in the sixth inning, with Matz pitching 17.1 innings over 21 appearances. He allowed seven earned runs in the frame, with opposing batters hitting .203 against him.
Matz has a 4.40 ERA and .328 batting average against in the seventh inning, covering 14.1 innings of work. His ERA is 3.60 in the eighth inning, and he pitched two scoreless ninth innings for St. Louis.
Matz has been excellent at getting lefties out, holding fellow southpaws to a .179 batting average and .442 OPS in 89 plate appearances. Right-handed batters have had much more success against him, batting .313 with an .814 OPS over 138 plate appearances.
Matt GeaganMatthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.
