BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox acquired right-hander Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline on Thursday, bolstering the rotation but falling short of the front-line starter the team was shopping for as it tries to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

“I understand the frustration and the disappointment. There’s not a lot of sympathy for how hard we tried to get deals across the line. I understand that,” Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, told reporters in a conference call. “We believe that we have a really young, exciting, talented team and one that is capable of continuing to perform at this level and get to the postseason. That’s what our focus is on.”

The Dodgers will receive minor league infielder/outfielder James Tibbs III and outfielder Zach Ehrhard for May, who is 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA this season. In his last outing, May gave up four runs in five innings in a loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Both Tibbs III and Ehrhard were with the Portland Sea Dogs.

Breslow, who also acquired Cardinals lefty reliever Steven Matz earlier Thursday, said there was no one off the table for discussions.

“We went into this deadline feeling like in order to accomplish what we needed to accomplish — what we hope to accomplish … we couldn’t go into this with untouchables. And we didn’t,” he said. “We were willing to talk about all of our guys in the name of improving the team. It just didn’t work out.”

A member of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship team, May pitched in just 20 games over the next four seasons as he tried to come back from two Tommy John surgeries and a torn esophagus. He agreed to a one-year deal with the Dodgers last offseason worth just over $2 million.

Tibbs was one of the players acquired in the salary-shedding deal that sent All-Star designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants last month. The deal brought the Red Sox little in talent but saved them more than $250 million that was expected to fatten their wallets for the trade deadline and beyond.

After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons and five of the last six – including three last-place finishes – the Red Sox were primed for a trade deadline spending spree. Despite trading Devers, Boston won 10 straight games heading into the All-Star break, has improved to 59-51, and entered the day in position for a wild-card berth.

“The team has been playing well. The playoffs are firmly in view,” Breslow said. “We felt like we needed to do what we could to try and bolster the team. I think I’ve been pretty outspoken about that.”

But the acquisitions of May and Matz are unlikely to make the impact that Red Sox fans had been promised. The teams ahead of Boston in the AL East made bigger moves to improve, with the Toronto Blue Jays acquiring Shane Bieber and the Yankees picking up relievers Camilo Doval, David Bednar and Jake Bird, as well as outfielder Austin Slater, and infielders Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero.

Seattle, which entered the day 1 1/2 games behind Boston in the wild-card race, landed slugger Eugenio Suarez — perhaps the top prize of the deadline.

“We can’t ignore what other teams are doing,” Breslow said. “Ultimately, we’re all going to be defined by what happens from tomorrow through our last game of the season, and eventually the playoffs. I think it’s really easy to sit here today and evaluate the trades that were made and how much better we think teams got on paper. Ultimately, those questions are going to be answered for us.”

Matz is 5-2 with a 3.44 ERA in 32 games this season, mostly in relief. He was acquired from St. Louis in exchange for minor league infielder Blaze Jordan. Jordan, 22, is batting .298 with six homers and 25 RBI at Triple-A Worcester, having also spent time with the Sea Dogs earlier this season.

The Giants traded Tibbs to Boston on June 15 in a package for Devers. He is batting .232 with 13 homers and 38 RBI overall, including in Class A for Giants before the Devers trade. Ehrhard, 22, was hitting .227 with eight homers and 23 RBI with Double-A Portland.

YANKEES: Looking to fortify its bullpen for the stretch run, New York agreed to acquire two-time All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates a few hours ahead of the trade deadline.

New York was set to send three minor league prospects to the last-place Pirates in exchange for Bednar, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade was pending a review of medical information and had not been announced.

Pittsburgh would receive catcher and first baseman Rafael Flores, catcher Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez.

Not done, the Yankees also finalized a trade to obtain right-handed reliever Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies for two minor leaguers: infielder Roc Riggio and left-hander Ben Shields. Then they acquired San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval and added some infield depth by getting Jose Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays.

ASTROS: Carlos Correa is returning to Houston, giving the Astros a huge — and familiar — boost after they reacquired the shortstop from the Minnesota Twins just before the trade deadline, according to a person with direct knowledge.

Correa spent his first seven years in Houston, where he became one of the most beloved players in franchise history, helping the team to six playoff appearances, three American League pennants and its first World Series title in 2017 — a title tainted by a sign-stealing scandal. The top pick in the 2012 amateur draft and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year was part of the homegrown core that helped the Astros go from the league’s laughingstock to perennial contenders.

Correa has exclusively played shortstop in his 11-year MLB career but will almost certainly move to third base for the AL West leaders, with shortstop Jeremy Peña close to returning from the injured list. The Astros need help at third base, with All-Star Isaac Paredes out indefinitely because of a hamstring injury.

PADRES: San Diego acquired hard-throwing closer Mason Miller and left-hander JP Sears in a deal with the Athletics, adding major upgrades to its pitching staff in a trade deadline blockbuster.

The Padres sent an impressive package of prospects to the A’s: highly-regarded shortstop Leo De Vries and right-handed pitchers Henry Báez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nuñez.

TIGERS: Detroit seems to be setting itself up to potentially go back to what manager A.J. Hinch calls pitching chaos.

Detroit bolstered its bullpen, and options in games without a traditional starting pitcher, with a series of moves to add a trio of right-handers in the hours before the trade deadline.

The Tigers acquired Washington’s Kyle Finnegan, Cleveland’s Paul Sewald and Texas minor leaguer Codi Heuer for prospects and cash.

Detroit made the trades — and one earlier this week — hoping to increase its chances of winning a World Series for the first time in more than four decades.

PHILLIES: Philadelphia acquired outfielder Harrison Bader for two minor leaguers, its second deal with the Minnesota Twins in two days after landing closer Jhoan Duran.

The 31-year-old Bader, a 2021 Gold Glove winner, remains a strong defender at all three outfield spots and has 12 home runs, 38 RBI and a .778 OPS in 96 games. Bader adds another bat to an outfield that has struggled to put up big offensive numbers. He also has postseason experience, playing in five postseason series with the Cardinals, Yankees and Mets, with a .809 OPS and five career homers.

The Phillies acquired Duran to round out the bullpen a day earlier. He has 16 saves and a 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances this season, striking out 53 in 49 1/3 innings. That deal cost the win-now Phillies a stronger pair of prospects in catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel.

METS: Turning its attention to offense, New York acquired center fielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles for three minor league pitchers.

The last-place Orioles received right-handers Raimon Gómez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh.

The speedy Mullins gives the Mets an all-around upgrade in center, where Tyrone Taylor was playing terrific defense but providing little offense. Versatile veteran Jeff McNeil has also been getting starts in center because of his bat, but he has much more experience at second base and the corner outfield spots.

GUARDIANS: Pitcher Shane Bieber is headed to the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays in a deal with the rebuilding Cleveland Guardians.