Red Sox: Starting pitcher trade targets
By Sean Penney
Take your pick from almost anyone from the vaunted New York Mets rotation – Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard. The Red Sox would be interested in any of them, but Matz may be the most attainable given that he has less of a track record.
The track record Matz does have is pretty darn good though. He exploded onto the scene last year, going 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA. He’s now following that up by going 7-1 with a 2.36 ERA this season, while posting a 5.56 K/BB ratio that ranks 5th in the NL.
The Mets have a loaded rotation, but rank a mere 12th in the NL in runs scored. Boston has the best offense in the majors and needs a starting pitcher. Seems like a perfect fit, right? New York is in a position to try to win now after falling just short in the World Series a year ago, so they’ll only deal if they get a major league ready bat in return.
We can assume that names like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts are untouchable, but the suddenly surging Jackie Bradley would have a lot of appeal to the Mets. If they want to pry any of those four pitchers away from the Mets, that’s the type of price it would take. They could be another team interested in Swihart, especially since Travis d’Arnaud has struggled to hit in the rare times he’s been healthy in his career.
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The Red Sox offense is good enough to keep them in the division race this season, but they aren’t going to accomplish their ultimate goal of winning another championship unless they upgrade their rotation. The Mets would be a great place to start if they want to find a starting pitcher, but any of the pitchers on this list would be a drastic improvement for this staff.