Red Sox News & Links: The Trades That Almost Were (Supposedly)

We finally have a rehab date for Tanner Houck. He’ll start Saturday’s game for Worcester, and while it’s not official yet, it’s possible that Garrett Whitlock follows him the very next day. (Luke Scotchie, Boston.com)

Prior to the trade deadline, a number of players, most notably Rafael Devers, weren't shy about telling the media that they wanted the front office to aggressively add to the team. Now we’re also learning that players also expressed those opinions directly to Chaim Bloom. Trying to parse whether this will lead to bad feelings or low morale in the clubhouse is a fools’ errand of palace intrigue, but it’s interesting to learn nonetheless. (Connor Ryan, Boston Globe)

So what tends to happen when the Sox don’t do much at the trade deadline, anyway? Here’s a look at just that question, examining recent Red Sox seasons back to 2005. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Apparently, though, the Sox didn’t intend to stay quiet at the deadline. Yesterday, reports surfaced that Bloom was in talks to trade Justin Turner to the Marlins, and separate talks to acquire Justin Verlander from the Mets. (Levi Weaver, Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

It’s a good thing Turner wasn’t traded, because things sure would’ve been awkward when the Sox announced him as their 2023 Heart & Hustle winter! (Juliana Cimino, NESN)

And hey, things could always have been worse. At least they didn’t make a trade that helped out the Yankees, as apparently was almost the case with respect to Mike Lowell back in 2010. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)