Word on the street is that the Boston Red Sox have pivoted their attention away from starting pitching additions after trading for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. Some optimistic fans still want to believe they'll flip one of their new arms or some of their copious depth for another, top-tier starter.,
Here's a list of three pitchers the Red Sox should go after (and why), two they shouldn't (and why not), plus a final category in and of itself for a pitcher who deserves his own plot of real estate in the discussion.
3 starting pitchers the Red Sox should try to trade for
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
Boston's three optimal trade targets have something in common: they're all on bargain deals, at least for 2026. Peralta is chief among them — the two-time All-Star is owed just $8 million next season. He's 29 years old and coming off the best campaign of his career. He'd be a perfect No. 2 behind Garrett Crochet in Boston's rotation, provided the Red Sox could trade for Freddy with an extension agreement already in place.
Of course, prying Peralta away from Milwaukee would be tough. There's a reason Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN estimated merely a 25 percent chance that Freddy will be traded this winter. Brewers GM Arnold said in Las Vegas that he'd need to be "blown away" by an offer for Peralta to even consider it.
Arnold knows the convenience of Peralta at $8 million for an entire season, so he'd feel entitled to demand an overpay of prospects from Boston for Freddy. The Red Sox should give serious thought to agreeing to such an overpay, especially because the second guy on this list could be even harder to yank away from his club.
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
While the Passan/McDaniel brain trust gave a Ryan a 50 percent trade likelihood, they also asserted that the Twins "never came close to finalizing a deal" involving Ryan at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, which isn't at all what most Red Sox fans thought happened.
Boston was widely reported to be on the verge of landing Ryan at the deadline. Heck, FOX Sports even announced that Ryan had been traded to the Red Sox before quickly deleting the post.
A deal seems unlikely now just based on the premise that it didn't happen before. The Twins have also stated that they plan to keep their stars (including one mentioned later on this list), but an intriguing enough offer may still get them to bite. That being said, Ryan's estimated $5.8 million salary in 2026 (his first arbitration year) makes every call to Minnesota worthwhile for Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow.
MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
Gore's projected $4.7 million bag next year is another bargain venture, but he's not quite the proven commodity that the Red Sox are seeking for a No. 2. Still, Gore is a guy they should monitor as a cheap, talented arm in case some of their more blockbuster targets fall through.
2 starting pitchers the Red Sox should avoid trading for
Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds
Greene's youth (26) and relatively inexpensive contract ($15 million AAV over the next four years) will have Cincinnati asking for a treasure chest of assets in any trade. And why shouldn't the Reds take this approach? Greene is their ace, and as they're on the verge of contention, keeping him should be the priority.
The reason you don't overpay for Greene if you're the Red Sox — but overpay for Peralta (extension included) — is that Peralta has the experience and "sure bet" factor that Greene lacks. Greene's only pitched in one playoff game, and he was shelled by the Los Angeles Dodgers in that outing.
With all due respect to Greene, he's more comparable in playoff chops to arms already in Boston's clubhouse like Connelly Early. This makes forking over a ton of prospect capital for Greene not worthwhile in the way it would be for the more battle-tested No. 2 like Peralta.
Pablo Lopez, Twins
Lopez's price tag (two more years, $43 million) stands out as "expensive" on this list, even if it's reasonable in the context of the market as a whole. That expense isn't worth it for the Red Sox considering Pablo's injury risk. Forearm and shoulder issues limited him to 75 2/3 innings last year.
1 more pitcher the Red Sox need to call about
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
If the Tigers are wise, Skubal isn't going anywhere this winter. Nonetheless, you simply have to keep checking in if you're Breslow.