On Friday, Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that the Red Sox rejected an offer from the Padres centered around struggling starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who has two top-five Cy Young finishes to his name, and catching prospect Ethan Salas, MLB Pipeline's No. 21 prospect in all of baseball.

The Boston Red Sox have needs to address before Thursday's trade deadline. They also have a valuable trade chip in Jarren Duran.

After Mayer’s injury, the Red Sox recalled infielder David Hamilton, and though Hamilton will see some time at second, Rafaela’s offense has been too valuable to the lineup. Playing him at second and Duran in center makes the offense stronger. The moving parts have been a challenge for manager Alex Cora much of the season and even more so now.