The Boston Red Sox brought back a familiar face Friday, acquiring left-handed pitcher James Paxton in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Could more old friends join Paxton in Boston before the MLB trade deadline?

The clock is ticking, with the deadline set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, but there are several former Red Sox players being tossed around in trade rumors. And a few might even make sense for Boston, which is looking to add pieces, per chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

Let’s examine five ex-Red Sox who theoretically could make a triumphant return to Fenway Park to help with Boston’s 2024 playoff push.

Justin Turner, IF/DH, Toronto Blue Jays
Turner is 39 years old. And he hasn’t been great this season. So, maybe he’s washed. But what if he isn’t? Turner was an excellent fit in Boston last season, when he slashed .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs. The Red Sox need a right-handed bat, and Turner checks that box in addition to being a respected clubhouse leader and an amazing postseason performer. This works, on and off the field.

Tommy Pham, OF, Chicago White Sox
The Red Sox don’t necessarily need another corner outfielder. Pham also brings a volatile personality, though he seemingly didn’t ruffle any feathers during his brief stint with Boston in 2022. This all goes back to the Red Sox’s desire to add a right-handed hitter who can help with their struggles against left-handers. Pham entered the weekend with an .848 OPS in 61 plate appearances versus southpaws. His career mark sat at .834.

Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Texas Rangers
There’s no guarantee the Rangers sell. They’re still in the playoff hunt — 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Houston Astros in the AL West — and have reinforcements joining the fray. But if they do, every contender should have eyes for Eovaldi, a bulldog who typically performs best when the lights shine brightest. He’d be a perfect fit for the Red Sox, with whom he spent parts of five seasons (2018-22) and won a World Series title (2018).

Zack Littell, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
OK, now we’re digging a little deeper into the Boston bloodline. Littell only made two appearances for the Red Sox in 2023 before being designated for assignment and landing with the Rays. If you sneezed, you missed his Boston tenure. But the 28-year-old since has evolved into a serviceable starting pitcher, which could appeal to the Red Sox as they look to bolster their rotation depth, especially since the cost of acquisition shouldn’t be too high. Littell is under club control through next season, and the Rays are in sell mode.

Jalen Beeks, LHP, Colorado Rockies
Beeks walked so Littell could run, so to speak, thriving at times in the Tampa Bay pitching factory (in various roles) before landing in the high altitude of Denver. Like with Littell, Beeks’ time in Boston was brief. He made just two appearances with the Red Sox before (coincidentally) being traded to the Rays for Eovaldi in 2018. But the 31-year-old is a low-cost, lower-tier trade option, if nothing else, given that he’s a lefty who doesn’t walk a ton of guys and is capable of generating ground-ball outs.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Hall of Honor class has been announced, enshrining four new members to the iconic list of honorees. This year, the team elected to add four new members to their Hall, who will be added to the Hall of Honor museum and be recognized at a halftime ceremony during the season.

Gildon spent ten years dressing for the black and gold. The one-time all-time sacks leader for the franchise earned three Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro placement. In 158 games and 126 starts, Gildon collected 507 tackles, 58 tackles for loss and 77 sacks.

One of the team’s most memorable outside linebackers, Gildon enters the Hall of Honor as a key member to the team’s 90’s defense.

‘Fast Willie’ is coming back to Pittsburgh to be enshrined alongside his running mate Jerome Bettis. Spending his entire career with the Steelers, Parker finished his six-year run in the NFL with 5,378 rushing yards, 697 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.

Parker is most well known for his historic Super Bowl run. In the third quarter of Super Bowl XL, Parker took off down the sideline for a record-setting 75-yard touchdown run. That run still sits in NFL history as the longest run in a Super Bowl.

The two-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion will now forever be enshrined as one of the organization’s greats.

Casey ‘Big Snack’ Hampton also spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, becoming one of the most recognizable names on the Steelers legendary defense. Alongside names like Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, Hampton was the big man in the middle that solidified the group up front.

A five-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion is already a member of the Steelers All-Time Team and the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame. He finished his career with 164 starts in the black and gold.

Dick LeBeau’s career started as a defensive backs coach for the Steelers in 1992 and included not one, but two runs as defensive coordinator. The Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame member was the coordinator from 1994-1995 and then returned 10 years later in 2004 until 2014.

During his stretch, he worked with names like Troy Polamalu, James Farrior, James Harrison, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark and so many others. The iconic defensive coordinator was known as the one of the greatest defensive minds of his generation and will now go down in team history.

The Steelers will honor their 2024 Hall of Honor Class on Dec. 7 when they host the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium.

Make sure you bookmark Steelers OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more

Thanking veterans for their sacrifice and service – that’s the mission behind the non-profit, House of Heroes Connecticut.

The organization has helped hundreds of vets over the years both in and out of state.

On Saturday, they were out helping four more veterans by the shoreline. Two of them were from West Haven and were family members.

“I feel very honored that they’re doing this,” said Mark Turner.

Mark Turner served in the US Army and Army Reserves from 1993 to 2001. His stepfather, Robert Levy, fought in World War II during the invasion of Normandy. Levy was also a bronze star honoree.

“He did a couple months in combat and then he did nine months in a prisoner of war camp,” said Turner. “He gave everything, you know.”

Turner says he had a very close relationship with his stepfather and wanted to follow his footsteps.

“I always considered him to be my real dad. He married my mom in 1979. I was about 4 years old. I just wanted to serve my country, and I just wanted to be like Pop,” said Turner.

To thank them both for their service, dozens of people volunteered their time to repair the front porch, clean up the back yard, and fix the side of the house along 2nd Avenue, where Turner and his mother live.

“You know, we learned about Mr. Levy’s story, and we said ‘look, we get to help two veterans in one go here,” said Dennis Buden, senior consultant and former executive director of House of Heroes CT.

Dennis Buden has been working with the organization for 10 years and says it feels good to give back to those who put our country first. 

After Saturday, House of Heroes Connecticut will have served 239 veterans since the organization started in 2012.