3 starting pitcher trade choices the Red Sox need to make with Giolito off the market
The Boston Red Sox's plans at the trade deadline just got a whole lot trickier.
While the trade market hasn't shown much movement ahead of the trade deadline just yet, the Boston Red Sox will need to make some decisions here very soon. The urgency has only been heightened in the wake of the Angels acquiring Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox.
Assuming a world where the Red Sox are indeed buying at the trade deadline, they have some work to do. While the lineup has been one of the better offenses in baseball, this Boston team needs some pitching as the rotation has struggled mightily in 2023 and the bullpen could use some reinforcements as well.
So what does the Giolito trade have to do the Red Sox given that neither team has much do with Boston other than the Angels being a wild card rival? Well, as it turns out, it matters quite a bit.
Here are 3 starting pitching choices the Red Sox need to make with Giolito off the market
The starting pitching market at the trade deadline this year appears to be the one where the dominos could fall very quickly. Giolito has been mentioned as a trade target by pretty much everyone for some time now. With him now officially off the market, prices are now far more set and things could move much more quickly especially with teams no longer holding out hope that Shohei Ohtani could be available.
Let's take a look at the choices the Red Sox need to make to address their pitching concerns.
Boston probably just needs to avoid a trade with the White Sox for a starting pitcher
The Chicago White Sox are one of the few surefire sellers at the trade deadline that actually have players worth acquiring. Oakland and Kansas City have been sellers for the last several years and have little left to offer from their rosters. The Rockies have some relievers, but they are not exactly known for their starting pitching prowess especially with what Coors Field does to pitchers.
Given that, one would think that Boston needs to keep the lines of communication open with Chicago. When it comes to bullpen options, that is absolutely true as Keynan Middleton and Kendall Graveman could be excellent additions. However, when it comes to the rotation, the Boston needs to use their resources elsewhere.
Lance Lynn was certainly an interesting candidate. However, he hasn't pitched well in 2023 and with all the money owed to him, it would have been hard to put together a trade package for him without some real concerns that Father Time had finally caught up with him. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the Dodgers took the decision out of Boston's hands as they made the move to acquire Lynn.
As for a guy like Dylan Cease who could be an amazing pickup for Boston who has some team control, the White Sox are all but saying he is untouchable at the deadline this year.
If Chicago changes their tune and makes Cease available, Boston should get in on that action. Otherwise, other teams are going to be more worth their time.
The Red Sox need to make a strong push for Blake Snell
One of the more enigmatic teams at the trade deadline this season are the San Diego Padres. The Padres spent big on their roster in both dollars and prospects and were heavy favorites to be playoff contenders. Unfortunately, things definitely went sideways for them in the first half and they find themselves five games below .500 as the deadline approaches.
While San Diego is very likely to want to regroup and try to compete next season, it does sound they could entire offers on some of their players including Blake Snell who is set to be a free agent after the 2023 season.
Snell could be the ideal target for the Red Sox if the Padres actually make him available. He is making $16 million season which should keep the particularly payroll conscious teams out of the mix. Snell is also pitching very well this season with a 2.61 ERA in 114 innings this year. Snell misses bats and is also going to be highly motivated to perform well as he is about to get his last chance at a big contract this coming offseason.
Getting the Padres to play ball is going to be the tricky part here. Admitting defeat at the trade deadline given the team's investments in their roster isn't a sure thing despite how rough the Padres' playoff odds look. The best guess is San Diego is going to have to get some talent that is close to being big league ready to be enticed to move Snell.
The Red Sox do have some trade chips that could fit the bill and assuming San Diego is willing and somewhat reasonable, Snell should be priority #1 for Boston.
Failing getting Snell, Boston needs to go out and get Jordan Montgomery
Unfortunately, if Blake Snell is made available, the Padres are going to be fielding calls from most of the league. Boston has the prospects to get that deal done especially with Snell being a rental, but his price could exceed what they are comfortable with. If that happens, Boston needs to have the Cardinals' Jordan Montgomery in place as at least a backup plan.
Here is the fundamental issue: Boston doesn't need warm bodies for their rotation, they need real production and that is where Montgomery could really shine. While the Cardinals' pitching staff as a whole has been a dumpster fire, Jordan has been very good this season with a 3.37 ERA with the peripherals to match.
Montgomery may not have the upside that Snell has given that he is a former Cy Young winner that misses more bats than Jordan. However, Montgomery is a reliable strike thrower and Boston should be very familiar with him given the time he spent with the Yankees.
There are going to be few opportunities to get high-end starting pitchers at the trade deadline this year. Boston needs to at least try to get a deal done for one of them.
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