AL East Rival Appears To Be Carving Path For Red Sox Postseason Berth

The Boston Red Sox enter the Major League Baseball trade deadline with more questions than answers after a day where chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom appeared to buy and sell.

With the team so close to contention, any transaction, in theory, could have a ripple effect on the Red Sox’s decision making. And the Baltimore Orioles more or less are telling their American League East foe not to give up just yet with their latest transactions.

The O’s are one of five teams ahead of the Red Sox for three wild-card spots. So far, they appear to be fully set on selling despite being just 2 1/2 games back of a postseason berth. Baltimore traded first baseman Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros in a three-team deal Monday and reportedly traded one of the best relievers in baseball this season in a separate move Tuesday.

Jorge López is being sent to the Minnesota Twins, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The All-Star reliever has posted a 1.68 ERA in 48 1/3 innings and is under team control through 2024.

With Baltimore appearing to step aside, the Red Sox should have one less contender to worry about. After Monday’s win over the Astros, Boston is just three games back of a wild-card spot. While July proved to be a historically brutal month, the Red Sox still are squarely within contention should they choose to keep some of their impending free agents past Tuesday’s deadline.

The Red Sox will aim to pick up more ground against the Astros on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.