Red Sox Trade Rumors: James Paxton, Adam Duvall Could Be Dealt; BOS Eyes Pitching

The Boston Red Sox are unlikely to be full sellers ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline, as they remain thick in the race for a playoff berth, but they are also keeping their gaze fixated upon the future and unlikely to seek out short-term rentals as buyers, according to Chad Jennings of The Athletic.

So they could mix buying and selling. Per that report, the team "is at least considering trading Adam Duvall (they would commit to Jarren Duran in center field, while keeping Rob Refsnyder for right-handed balance in the outfield), and there is still some debate about whether to trade James Paxton."

He added that the Red Sox have "looked into several trade targets, most of them pitchers, who have options remaining and would come with several years of team control."

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke to reporters about the team's general plan for the upcoming trade deadline this past week:

"I hope that it's become more visible, especially over the last several weeks, that a lot of what we've been talking about with trying to have a core that wins not just now, but that we can keep winning, that a lot of that is starting to be more visible by the day. You just need to look at that scoreboard to know we're not where we want to be yet, but it's also not something that you need to close your eyes and dream on. And so really our North Star is just continuing to advance the ball there. Continuing to build our core. Those are going to be the most attractive opportunities for us."

He added that short-term rentals weren't his priority, but didn't rule out the possibility if the right deal emerged.

As for players like Paxton and Duvall, each would make sense as potential outgoing trade chips given their pending free agency.

Paxton, 34, would be the more surprising departure given Boston's general lack of depth at starting pitcher. He's been solid this season, going 6-2 in 13 starts with a 3.34 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 70 innings. It's been an impressive return for the veteran pitcher after he missed nearly two years following Tommy John surgery.

Duvall, 34, has been a steady presence, hitting .260 with eight homers, 28 RBI, 24 runs and a .852 OP. But at some point the 26-year-old Durran is going to be the everyday center-fielder, and he's certainly had his best MLB showing this season (.314 with six homers, 35 RBI, 39 runs, 21 stolen bases and a .868 OPS in 83 games) after struggles early in his career.

In any event, the Red Sox are a fascinating team to monitor. At 56-48 they find themselves seven games back of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East but just 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the final Wild Card berth. A postseason appearance is certainly an opportunity.

It just won't come at the cost of sacrificing the long-term goal of building a sustainable core.