Red Sox Reportedly Interested in Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly amid MLB Trade Rumors

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly poking around the Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitching rotation ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline.

According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, the Red Sox "have shown some interest in both Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen."

The market for both Kelly and Gallen appears to be pretty hot, especially with the Diamondbacks now sitting at just 51-57 on the season, 8.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot:

Kelly, 36, is 9-6 this season with 13 quality starts, a 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 128.2 innings. Those are excellent numbers for any team in need of pitching help, though he is a one-year rental who is set to hit free agency after the season, which somewhat limits his value on the trade market.

The same is true of the 29-year-old Gallen, who has also struggled immensely and is 7-12 on the year with seven quality starts, a 5.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 127 innings. Given his age, however, an acquiring team might consider eventually extending him, banking on his 2025 struggles being a one-year hiccup.

It would appear the Red Sox, meanwhile, are trending toward being buyers ahead of the deadline. At 58-51, the team is just five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East and is currently holding the second Wild Card spot. While the Red Sox are just 5-6 since the All-Star Break, a 10-game winning streak to end the first half turned their season around.

While Garrett Crochet has been as advertised and Brayan Bello a pleasant surprise, the rest of the rotation has offered mixed returns. Adding another bonafide starter would make sense as Boston looks to secure a playoff berth down the stretch.