The Boston Red Sox are in first place in the AL East over the Rays, Orioles and Yankees and as summer starts to wear on, the team is looking at a number of players in the trade market and they are focusing on pitching, as Bud Norris, Jake Peavy, Yovani Gallardo and Edinson Volquez have all had scouts following them for the team.
According to ESPN.com, the Red Sox have looked heavily into Peavy and the White Sox and the team already has dealt for one pitcher from the team, as they acquired Matt Thornton earlier in the year. The White Sox also have Alex Rios and Peavy has been the main player teams have looked into after Matt Garza was dealt to the Rangers and this season he has been a solid 8-4 with a 4.28 ERA this season and he's 33-29 over the last four seasons, making him a major target for the Sox.
The sox are also reportedly looking into Milwaukee Brewers's Yovani Gallardo and the San Diego Padres' Edinson Volquez as options, since both have struggled this season but could fit with Boston, while Michael Young could be heading back to Texas after being traded to the Phillies. Bud Norris is an option as well with Houston, as he has been the best starter for the Astros this season and after dealing with injuries the Sox need some more depth in the rotation and in the bullpen.
According to Fox Sports, the Rangers would love to get their hands on Giancarlo Stanton, but the Marlins are not planning on giving him up this offseason. He is just hitting .201 with 12 home runs, but the team knows what he can do and if they can't snag him they may go after Michael Young to bring him back home as he is hitting .278 and the team could use a bat after it didn't really work out with Manny Ramirez.
The Sox are very interested in Peavy and have some choices to make ahead of the July 31 deadline. Peavy looked strong in his last start against the White Sox, going into the eighth inning with seven strikeouts and he could be the missing piece for the Red Sox.
