Boston Red Sox Trade Rumors: Is Ryan Braun Deal Close With Milwaukee Brewers?


Boston Red Sox trade rumors again link the team to outfielder Ryan Braun. These Red Sox rumors stem from a perceived need for the team to add another bat soon. The fact that former catcher Blake Swihart was playing left field again on Sunday, May 29, might just give credence to the trade rumors.

A new report from the Sporting News states that the Boston Red Sox are already among the “potential buyers,” as Ryan Braun has continued to heat up in May. He could easily slide into left field and take a spot in the middle of the batting order, but it may come down to whether or not the team is willing to overpay in a deal. The success that Braun is having this season may have already increased the asking price of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Through 41 games this season, Braun has a .351 batting average, a 1.006 OPS, and a .424 on-base percentage. Braun has nine home runs, 30 RBIs, and 53 hits over those games. With the ability to play both corner outfield positions well, he could be the perfect complement player to a Red Sox team that has been playing very well lately.

After beating the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox have improved to 30-20 on the season. Though the team is playing well, the Red Sox are just one game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles (28-20) for first place in the American League East. The Blue Jays have also started catching up as well, and are currently at 26-26 on the season. In order to hold off the pursuers, finding an improvement on offense may be in order. That’s why these latest Boston Red Sox trade rumors make perfect sense.

Ryan Braun At Fenway Park
(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Ryan Braun is now 32-years-old and is under team control through the 2020 MLB season. He will make $20 million from 2016-18, $19 million in 2019, and then $17 million in 2020. For the 2021 MLB season, Braun has a mutual option in his contract for $15 million that also comes with a $4 million buyout from his club. It would certainly make him an expensive acquisition for the Red Sox, but possibly a player that could put the team over the top this year.

If Red Sox fans had a say in these trade negotiations with the Milwaukee Brewers, Pablo Sandoval’s name would come up. The problem, though, is that the Red Sox would have to pay a hefty chunk of his salary in order to get the Brewers on board. Paying for Sandoval and Braun would make this a very pricey trade indeed. In any other scenario, the Red Sox would likely have to give up top prospects that don’t make a lot of money over the next few MLB seasons.

There aren’t a lot of teams that can afford to take on the salary of Ryan Braun in addition to what they already have on the payroll. The Boston Red Sox are certainly one of those franchises, but the front office could become timid after the Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez contracts didn’t turn out well. Ramirez has started to turn things around this season, so it’s possible that the checkbook could be wide open when it comes to targeting a big name. The main question would become which team is willing to offer the Brewers a huge return for Braun.

Ryan Braun Hits Home Run
(Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

Ryan Braun is still an All-Star outfielder, a former National League MVP, and possibly the best asset available on the trade market. The Milwaukee Brewers aren’t going anywhere, so the possibility of acquiring him is also greater than many of the other teams that will be “selling” at the trade deadline. He isn’t the only name that will get mentioned in the coming flood of Boston Red Sox trade rumors, but he might be the biggest difference-maker that the team could easily acquire.

[Photo by Joe Skipper/Getty Images]

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