Red Sox fans have reached trade deadline nirvana with Bobby Witt Jr. ‘rumors’

The lead-up to the MLB trade deadline is always a fascinating time, partly because you hear some incredibly outlandish ideas and what-if scenarios. Granted, some of those proposed deals, as we saw last summer with Pirates ace Paul Skenes, are understandable when factoring in the bigger picture.

Then, there are the hypothetical moves that would make one fanbase ecstatic, have another furious, and send the rest of the league into full “what just happened?” mode. 

WEEI’s Rob Bradford was more than happy to participate in the latter on Thursday, mentioning that someone asked him if the Boston Red Sox should target Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. Witt, a three-time All-Star, is signed through 2030 with options through the end of 2037.

Red Sox fans want to trade for Royals star Bobby Witt Jr.

Bradford shared that he’d been asked whether people would be upset if the Red Sox traded the likes of Roman Anthony and starting pitching prospect Kyson Witherspoon. 

“No, they wouldn’t be upset!” Bradford told Adam Jones and Rich Keefe. 

“If you’re gonna find … the guy who’s gonna be the foundation guy, the guy who’s gonna be the centerpiece guy for an organization, it’s gonna be a guy like Bobby Witt,” Bradford added. 

Unironically, perhaps my favorite part of Bradford’s conversation with Jones and Keefe came when he compared Witt to David Ortiz. Granted, Bradford was talking about the overall organizational impact they provide, but it made me laugh because Witt already has 30 stolen bases this year. Meanwhile, Ortiz recorded 17 stolen bases over 20 seasons.  

No, the Boston Red Sox are not trading for Bobby Witt Jr.

But Bradford was dead-on when he talked about Witt being the “foundation guy” that every team wants. Obviously, the Yankees have Aaron Judge, and the Dodgers added Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani all within a five-year span. The Red Sox are still searching for the next face of their franchise, especially with Jarren Duran’s future looking cloudier by the day. 

There is no indication that the Royals intend to trade Witt within the next 11 days, nor has he publicly requested such a move. However, he wisely included a full no-trade clause in the 11-year extension he signed in 2024. Even if the Royals wanted to send Witt packing as we typically see with small- and mid-market teams, they can’t do so without his consent. 

Whether Witt would accept a trade to the Red Sox is itself a different conversation. Mike Trout and Byron Buxton are both significantly older than Witt, and they’ve publicly resisted the idea of being traded. Trout hasn’t played on a winning team since 2015, and Buxton is watching the Twins work through another rebuild.

I’m skeptical that the Royals would consider trading Witt, even as they potentially near their own rebuild. That just doesn’t strike me as a move they’d make when they have a franchise player who has already signed a long-term deal. He already committed to play in Kansas City for the long haul, whatever that might mean. The AL Central is typically weak enough that, in theory, the Royals should always be in the playoff mix. 

So as exciting as the thought of a Witt trade might be, I suggest Red Sox fans temper their expectations. At least they’re thinking about buying, though. That recent 15-game winning streak completely turned Boston’s season on its head, and the Red Sox entered play on Thursday only one game behind Cleveland for the AL’s second Wild Card spot. 

It’s amazing what a couple of weeks can do to impact a team’s playoff hopes. Just ask the Mets. 

More MLB news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow