Red Sox Predictions: Catcher Blake Swihart Will Be Traded For A No. 2 Starter

Boston Red Sox need a reliable No. 2 pitcher to start behind David Price

Even though the Boston Red Sox are tied atop the American League East leaderboard with the Baltimore Orioles, there are still some major changes that need to take place if this team wants to make a push for the postseason. The Sox bats have been on fire as of late, but their starting pitching has left much to be desired. While the back of the rotation has shined, David Price and Clay Buchholz have floundered. Additionally, the fifth spot in the starting rotation has already seen many different faces as players have gone down with injuries and others have been called up from Triple-A.

In order to fix the BoSox starting five, they are going to need to acquire a quality No. 2 starter. To acquire a starter of that caliber, the Red Sox will need to trade Blake Swihart. On May 8, MLBTradeRumors.com reported that the Sox would be ok with trading Swihart in order to acquire a quality arm for the rotation. Additionally, Swihart’s trade value is high enough that it would likely spare the Sox from trading any of the prized top prospects.  

It also makes sense for Boston to try and snag a No. 2 starter prior to the trade deadline because the free agent market for top-notch starting pitchers is going to be extremely thin this upcoming offseason. So, who could the Red Sox look to acquire prior to the July 30 trade deadline?  

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