A deal with a rival like Boston always seems unlikely. But riding a four-game winning streak and one game ahead of the Yankees, the Red Sox are now firmly in Wild Card contention and disinclined to sell (ditching the unproductive Kiké Hernández doesn’t count), so a trade involving the man we’ll discuss would almost have to be mutually beneficial toward the remainder of 2023 in some way. Still, the Yankees would be loath not to check in on some of the Sox’s rentals, especially their former mid-rotation stalwart James Paxton.
In fact, Paxton’s last extended look in the majors came in pinstripes.