Garrett Crochet was exactly the ace the Boston Red Sox needed throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Numerous other arms in Boston’s rotation and bullpen stepped up to deliver supporting performances around the ace’s barnstorming outings.
But there’s only so much one pitcher can do to deliver wins for the club. With Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito keeping runs to a minimum but dealing with significant traffic on the base paths in recent, successive outings, there remains a real need explore rotation upgrades in the offseason.
There was plenty of chatter surrounding Washington’s MacKenzie Gore and even an incorrect information dump that suggested Boston had pulled off a trade for Joe Ryan with Minnesota. Either pitcher could have delivered solid pitching support down the stretch, but a game changer like the Crochet trade last winter will have to wait until 2025 winds down.
Even so, Craig Breslow and Co. are certainly already exploring their options to bring in a true number-two to create a menacing partnership with Crochet. These are some of the names that might be floating around the Sox’s front office.
3 trades Red Sox could make to get elite pitching this offseason
Paul Skenes
The preeminent name among any trade talks for elite starting pitching, Paul Skenes continues to deliver incredible performances for a bleak Pittsburgh team. Pittsburgh limited Skenes’ late-season pitching to 200 innings on the year. By telegraphing this move (even as a very high ceiling), it could mean that the team is finally ready to ship the 23-year old phenom off for a mega-haul of prospects.
For one thing, Pittsburgh is light on MLB-ready outfield support, and Andrew McCutchen is nearing the end of his playing days. Bryan Reynolds, in particular, is a quality outfielder with two All-Star selections to his name. But even Reynolds is 30 this year. As such, Jarren Duran would likely act as the frontline name in any blockbuster trade with the Pirates. McCutchen is a bona fide legend in the Steel City, and Duran is a spirited cornerstone personality already blossoming into similar folk hero gravitas in Boston.
Numerous top quality minor leaguers would also have to go, potentially including a pitcher like Payton Tolle (one 6’ 6” hurler for another). Big name infield support like Franklin Arias, Boston’s No. 1 prospect might also get lumped in. Other pieces that could be sought by Pittsburgh might include Marcelo Mayer or Kristian Campbell, both young infielders who show talent and willingness to move around the diamond. To be clear, Pittsburgh remains adamant that Skenes isn’t a player up for grabs, but for a course-altering offer, the organization would have to listen.
Joe Ryan
A target ahead of the trade deadline, Ryan has two years of team control remaining. Minnesota showed extreme willingness to part with both expensive players and star talent at the deadline, and with the Pohlad family announcing that they’ll stop shopping the team, it won’t be surprising if the sell off and (perhaps partial) rebuild continues into the offseason. This gives the Red Sox a solid opportunity to go after Ryan again without a race against the clock complicating things.
Reportedly, the Sox were willing to part with anyone in the minor league system, including its (new) top three prospects in Tolle, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Arias. Boston was apparently willing to let go of any two of these players in combination.
If Boston is committed to moving things around, a major league outfielder alongside one of these elite prospects and someone a bit farther down the list: Maybe a Hayden Mullins or David Sandlin-type, pitchers claiming Boston’s No. 18 and 10 prospect rankings alongside “The Password” or Arias and a player like Campbell, sporting versatile talent and a team-friendly contract.
Logan Webb
A return to the bargaining table with San Francisco could yield an interesting pitching addition. Logan Webb has pitched 160.2 innings so far (after successive 200-plus inning seasons in ’23 and ’24), placing him at the top of the pack again and just ahead of Crochet at No. 2.
Webb is a warrior on the mound giving up 14 home runs (fewer than both Tarik Skubal and Crochet) while pitching to a 1.24 WHIP and 3.22 ERA. He signed a $90 million contract with San Francisco to run through the 2028 season, providing quality team control into the future. With the team looking toward more rebuilding this offseason after a selling outlook at the deadline and Rafael Devers’ significant price tag now on the books, moving Webb’s $23 million over the next few seasons ($24M in 2028) might be enticing if it returns quality, cost-controlled depth on the mound or elsewhere.
Boston would likely have to give up high value pitching talent, like Kyson Witherspoon, Brandon Clarke, or Tolle. This might end up requiring numerous arms in the Boston farm system and demand a serious financial commitment by the ownership group — so don’t get too starry-eyed over thoughts of Webb on the Fenway mound.