Unfortunately, the desire for some in the national media to report the news first can occasionally take precedence over the need to report the news correctly.
As the final minutes of the trade deadline in the Major League Baseball season ticked down, a post on X (formerly Twitter) briefly sent sports journalists, and fans of the Boston Red Sox, into a tizzy. MLB on Fox put out a “breaking news” alert stating that Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan had been traded to the Red Sox.
Tyler Milliken, a sports radio insider from the Boston area, posted a link to the announcement, along with a caption loudly asking, “IS THIS A MISTAKE?!?!!?”
Turns out it was, as the link posted by Milliken now sends clickers to a page that “doesn’t exist.” Because the trade never existed.
MLB On Fox Posts, Then Deletes Alert Claiming Boston Acquired Twins Pitcher Joe Ryan
In its alert, MLB on Fox had credited Jon Morosi of MLB Network for the report. Yahoo Sports also jumped on the claim, citing Morosi, then quickly deleted the post.
But the only post on Thursday from the long-time journalist that mentioned Ryan was at 5:32 p.m. (EST), when Morosi stated, “The Red Sox have made a late effort to acquire Joe Ryan, source says.”
“A late effort,” however, is a far cry from a done deal, and fans were quick to call out Fox Sports for a “generational fumble.”
“you can’t go on Fox anymore I’m sorry,” one respondent wrote.
“We just got fooled. I literally almost passed out,” another said.
Alas, when the smoke had cleared, Boston fans came to the realization that president of baseball operations Craig Breslow had only completed two trades.
Late Wednesday night, Boston acquired left-handed pitcher Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals for infielder Blaze Jordan. Then on Thursday, the Red Sox sent outfielder/first baseman James Tibbs III, one of the players acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, along with outfielder Zach Ehrhard to the Los Angeles Dodgers for starter Dustin May.
The Red Sox Did Not Acquire Joe Ryan, But They Did Add Pitching
Boston certainly needed help in the pitching staff, and May will provide depth in the rotation.
A former top prospect in the Dodgers system, May missed nearly two years, first in recovery from a torn flexor tendon in his pitching arm, and then after a freak incident while swallowing lettuce that caused a perforation in his esophageal tube. May, who is pitching on a one-year deal, started 18 games for the Dodgers this season, going 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA.
Matz, in the final season of a four-year contract that he signed with the St. Louis, had been a disappointment in the first three seasons, filled mostly with ineffectiveness and injury. But this year, he took on a hybrid reliever role, making a pair of spot starts and providing several multi-inning relief efforts, and Matz has made the most of the opportunity, going 5-2 with a 3.44 ERA in 55 innings over 33 appearances.
According to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox plan to use Matz as a straight reliever, although Breslow stressed that the team will not “close the door” on the idea of Matz starting games or pitching in a “bulk” role.
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