The Boston Red Sox have gotten to work early this offseason and shocked baseball fans with two out-of-nowhere trades before the Winter Meetings. Craig Breslow deepened his pool of major league starting pitchers by bringing in Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo from their former homes in the National League Central.
Boston's chief baseball officer made it clear quickly after his club's Wild Card elimination that he would focus on adding more top-of-the-rotation help behind Garrett Crochet — some reporters and many fans interpreted this update as Breslow seeking a No. 2 starter. It was initially uncertain if Breslow traded for Gray to be his No. 2, but after the Oviedo trade, we can get a better idea.
The Red Sox didn't rule out making another pitching move after the Gray trade, and fans hoped the move would be a deal for Joe Ryan, Freddy Peralta or a pitcher of a similar caliber. It's looking more and more like Gray could be the best of Boston's pitching additions.
Some fans have pitched the possibility that the Red Sox could trade some of their starters for one of the top-tier arms on the market. But Sean McAdam of MassLive reports that the Red Sox more than likely see Crochet, Gray, Oviedo and Brayan Bello as "untouchable" in trade conversations (subscription required). This report doesn't rule out a potential trade of Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval or any of the younger pitchers in the organization, but it seems neither Gray nor Oviedo will be flipped for a better arm.
After the Johan Oviedo trade, it seems like the Red Sox are treating Sonny Gray like their No. 2 starter
Gray is still one of the top strike throwers in MLB, but at 36, but calling him a No. 2 is a risk, especially given his numbers at Fenway Park. The veteran has posted a 6.84 ERA, 1.823 WHIP, 19 strikeouts and 11 walks over 26.1 innings pitched in Boston.
According to Rob Bradford of Audacy, the Red Sox are high on Oviedo and see front-of-the-rotation potential in him. Oviedo can generate quite a bit of swing-and-miss and Boston's coaches love his out-of-this-world extension, but his command is shaky — an issue the Red Sox have already fixed in his former Pirates teammate, Aroldis Chapman.
With so many pitchers already in the system and the established big leaguers tabbed as "untouchable," it's hard to imagine the Sox trading for another arm. Crawford, Sandoval, Hunter Dobbins, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison and prospects who haven't debuted yet, like Luis Perales or David Sandlin, could be in the mix for rotation jobs in spring training, barring more massive trades.
The Oviedo deal may have been a way to bring more major league depth to the rotation before the Sox plan to trade away a few top pitching prospects. The Diamondbacks reportedly seek pitching back in a potential trade for star second baseman Ketel Marte, and many other clubs would like to add to their pool of young, controllable pitching depth.
Anything can happen in the offseason, and Breslow has swung some gutsy trades for elite arms before. But for now, Gray is Boston's No. 3 in the second spot in its rotation.