Said Ryan Jeffers of deadline madness: "Maybe this is the harsh reality of what was needed for this club. It’s a hard pill to swallow."

The Red Sox still have a logjam of outfielders after keeping everyone including Duran and Abreu, despite Duran’s name being floated in numerous trade rumors. They failed to get an impact starter, didn’t acquire a bat and didn’t address the hole at first base, but Breslow remains confident with the team he has.

Instead, Steven Matz came over from the St. Louis Cardinals, but without Ryan, the Red Sox are left hoping that more marginal moves will be enough. Derek Falvey stared at a top 100 prospect return, but wisely backed off when Boston refused to put anyone else in the deal.