Red Sox almost traded Justin Turner, pursued Justin Verlander, according to MLB insider
The Marlins reportedly tried hard to acquire Justin Turner, but the Red Sox called off the move.
The Red Sox were relatively quiet on Tuesday’s trade deadline. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t on the phone.
Red Sox
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday that the Red Sox almost traded designated hitter Justin Turner to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. In addition, they also pursued a trade for then-Mets ace Justin Verlander before New York agreed to trade him to the Houston Astros.
Rosenthal wrote that discussions with the Marlins were “extensive,” and the Marlins felt that a deal with them was close. But the Red Sox called off the trade, leading Miami to instead trade with Cleveland for Josh Bell and the Chicago White Sox for Jake Burger.
“What the Red Sox would have received in return for Turner is not known,” Rosenthal wrote. “But for president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom to again consider disrupting his clubhouse in the middle of an encouraging season, the package must have been enticing.”
Rosenthal’s reporting contradicts an earlier report from WEEI’s Rob Bradford, which stated that Turner was not going anywhere. Turner has quickly emerged as a clubhouse leader since he came to Boston in the offseason, and Rosenthal notes that he brings value to the team “far beyond his 17 home runs and .837 OPS.”
The Red Sox have traded clubhouse leaders before, such as when they traded Christian Vazquez to the Astros last year, but the Bradford report suggests that Turner’s locker in Boston was safe beyond doubt. Rosenthal implied that the Marlins could have offered controllable starters for Turner, the Red Sox’ biggest need. That could be a reason why Bloom did not reject this proposed deal with the Marlins as fast as the report indicated he would.
No deal was made, nor did the Red Sox receive a starting pitcher before 6 p.m. on Tuesday. But Bloom certainly tried to get his starter, even going as far as to pursue a trade for Verlander, a future hall-of-famer. It’s not clear if the Red Sox had much of a chance though, as Rosenthal wrote that the Astros were Verlander’s team of choice.
“Verlander, who is under contract through next season with a conditional player option for 2025,” Rosenthal wrote, “might not have waived his no-trade clause for any club but Houston.”
In not acquiring Verlander or any other starter, the Red Sox failed to bolster their rotation like they set out to do. They look to do so in the coming weeks, when Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck all return from the injury list.
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