Red Sox Interested in Ken Giles, Kirby Yates

The Boston Red Sox are in serious need of bullpen assistance. Their relievers have combined to rank 18^th in MLB among bullpen ERA—blowing the fourth-most saves (18) in baseball and holding the third-worst save percentage (52.63).

Looking to address their bullpen woes, the Red Sox are reportedly interested in Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles. They also are pursuing Kirby Yates of the San Diego Padres, though it seems unlikely he gets moved before the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

Yates, the 32-year-old All-Star, is under contract through the 2020 season. Yates has a major-league best 31 saves in 33 opportunities this season. He boasts a 1.05 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 43 innings.

The Padres (47-52) have underachieved this season, but plan on competing in the NL West next year after signing Manny Machado in the offseason to compliment a roster flushed with young talent. The Red Sox would need to fork over significant assets to San Diego to acquire Yates.

A more reasonable target, Giles is also under team control through next season, but the Blue Jays (38-63) are in full-rebuild mode and are looking to stockpile young players. Giles owns a dazzling 1.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 57/10 K/BB ratio over 33 innings with the Blue Jays this season. The 28-year-old has 14 saves in 15 opportunities.

The Red Sox are pursuing Ken Giles in trade talks. (Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports)

The Red Sox announced last week that Nathan Eovaldi would be the primary closer moving forward. The right-hander—who was activated from the 60-day injured list on Saturday after undergoing elbow surgery—was arguably the team’s most valuable player last postseason. He registered a 1.61 ERA in six appearances (two starts) across 22.1 innings in the playoffs, recording two wins against one loss to help the Red Sox capture the 2018 World Series.

If the Red Sox were to acquire a proven closer such as Yates or Giles, Eovaldi would presumably be moved into a setup role or back into the starting rotation.   

Blue Jays to Place Josh Donaldson on Waivers

The Toronto Blue Jays are planning on placing former American League MVP Josh Donaldson on revocable trade waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Donaldson has not played in a big-league contest since May 28, when he was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a strained left calf muscle injury.

If the Blue Jays trade Donaldson before Friday Aug. 31 (deadline ends that night at 11:59 p.m.), the third baseman/designated hitter will be playoff-eligible for his new club. He is owed $4 million for the remainder of the season. Donaldson, 32, slashed .234/.333/.423 with five home runs and a .757 OPS in 36 contests this season before his placement on the DL. He is currently rehabbing with the Blue Jays’ Class A affiliate in Dunedin, FL.

Donald signed a 1-year $23 million deal with the Blue Jays before the season to avoid salary arbitration. A three-time All-Star, Donaldson won league MVP honors in his first season in Toronto (2015) after being traded the previous offseason from the Oakland Athletics, ranking first in RBI and runs scored. He won the Silver Slugger Award that season and in 2016, another All-Star campaign for Donaldson.

The Blue Jays are looking to trade Josh Donaldson. (Matt York/AP)

The Blue Jays are likely to enter rebuilding mode. Their division rivals, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, own the two best records in MLB and are stocked with young talent. This puts the onus on Toronto to build for the long-term future through a youth movement.

Toronto will miss the playoffs for the second straight season after reaching the ALCS in 2016 as a Wild-Card team. Dealing away Donaldson would be a big first step in the franchise’s rebuild.

Rosenthal says the Blue Jays “want Donaldson gone” so that they don't have to decide whether to offer him a qualifying offer in the offseason. There should be plenty of interest in Donaldson from multiple contending teams.

R.A. Dickey silences Red Sox's bats, Blue Jays avoid sweep

The Boston Red Sox were no match for R.A. Dickey’s signature knuckleball on Sunday at the Rogers Centre.

Dickey surrendered just one run off five hits in 6 1/3 innings of work as the Toronto Blue Jays pummeled the Red Sox, 7-1, to avoid a three-game sweep. He retired the first five batters of the game and had a streak of 10 straight outs later in the contest. On the day that Dickey bobbleheads were given out to fans in attendance, the right-hander was able to make the Red Sox’s batters bobble at the place, striking out six in a dominant performance.

Jon Lester was a hard-luck loser, pitching seven strong innings of four-run baseball. The Red Sox’s bullpen imploded in the bottom of the eighth. Andrew Miller allowed three runs in just 2/3 inning, giving the Blue Jays plenty of insurance to close the game out.

A lack of run support for Lester has been banal in the 2014 season. The Red Sox have scored a mere 13 runs in six starts by Lester. The southpaw has posted a solid 3.10 ERA on the young season, but has a mediocre 2-4 record to show for his efforts.

The Red Sox could have climbed back to the .500 mark had they defeated Blue Jays. With a loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday, the Red Sox are now 0-6 in games that would have evened their record on the year.