Red Sox expressing interest in trade route to fill starting pitching holes
The free agent pitching market is beginning to take shape over the last two weeks.
Aaron Nola, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray have all signed with teams and the Red Sox have reportedly shown little interest in them, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
“One reason for that, according to an industry source familiar with the team’s thinking, is that the Red Sox have expressed an interest in first trying to address their pitching needs via the trade route before pivoting later to the free agent market,” wrote McAdam.
Dylan Cease is one starting pitcher who’s name is gaining momentum in trade talks the last couple of days. The Braves and Dodgers have strong interest in the right-hander, while the Red Sox have been lukewarm.
Cease has two years of team control remaining before he can be a free agent in 2026. The righty went 7-9 last season posting a 4.58 ERA. Last season was a down year for the righty, it came on the heels of his 2022 campaign where he finished 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young award.
The durable Cease has made 97 starts the last three seasons, 32 in both 2021 and 2022 and 33 last year. He’s also tossed 526 2/3 frames during that span.
Cease is exactly who the Red Sox need to lead their rotation this year and beyond. The problem, he’s going to be expensive, the White Sox are rumored to have asked for Brayan Bello as part of a trade package in previous talks, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.
Trading Bello would make little sense for the Red Sox, considering they’re looking to add to their rotation and he is part of the club’s long term plans. Boston has the surplus of prospects to pull off a trade of magnitude it’ll take to acquire Cease.
New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is on the clock to make an meaningful move to improve the club’s rotation needs. Cease should be one of their top targets, but based off McAdam and Bradford’s report, he seems unlikely.
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Don't need any 30 plus yr. old over the hill starters. Get a trainer that will get these players in condition. Arm, shoulder, hamstring injuries are less apt to occur if proper training and pregame conditioning are a priority.