4 impact moves the Red Sox can make to address Lucas Giolito's injury

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The energy surrounding the Boston Red Sox this spring training has been overwhelmingly positive. Even though the front office didn't make many changes to actually make the roster better, the Red Sox have been having some success in unexpected areas this spring.

Pitching has been one of Boston's greatest deficiencies for some time. Shockingly, the rotation has doing well in Grapefruit League action.

Suddenly, the outlook for the rotation has changed, though. The Red Sox's marquee offseason acquisition Lucas Giolito felt some discomfort in his elbow after his most recent start against the Minnesota Twins.

Some early imaging of Giolito's throwing arm has revealed what is likely a partial UCL tear that could require Tommy John surgery to repair. And, in the blink of an eye, the Red Sox are down to one true starter in the rotation. Brayan Bello is now Boston's only hope.

But he doesn't have to be. There are still free-agent pitchers available and trades that can be made with the Red Sox's stacked farm. The front office is going to have to do something to salvage the season. We have some ideas.

4 impact moves the Red Sox can make to address Lucas Giolito injury

Sign Jordan Montgomery

It's the answer that's been right in front of management's faces the whole time. But now they're really desperate.

Red Sox fans have been begging and pleading with the front office in any way they can to convince the team to sign Jordan Montgomery. With Giolito in the mix, he would stabilize the rotation. Without Giolito available, Montgomery would give the Red Sox the bare minimum of the promises made to fans this offseason (that the Red Sox would still be competitive). They won't win any prizes, but they won't be a doormat entering every series.

Boston signed Giolito to serve as an innings-eater and potential ace (if he resdiscovered his form). He's pitched over 160 innings five times in his eight-year big-league career. The Red Sox didn't get much longevity out of their starting rotation last season and Montgomery would take them far. He pitched 188.2 innings in his age-30 season with the Rangers.

Giolito's injury gives management the perfect way to prove that they care about the Red Sox as much as they claim to. Signing Montgomery may be the only way to salvage the 2024 season.

Sign Blake Snell

Blake Snell is arguably the best pitcher still on the free-agent market. He's been a less realistic target for the Red Sox than Montgomery all offseason because he's asking for an astronomical contract, both in length and in price.

Snell is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and his presence would definitely improve the Red Sox roster (which is not saying much these days.) His 2023 season was his second Cy Young year and he led MLB with the lowest ERA for a qualified starting pitcher at 2.25. Snell pitched 180 innings and logged a staggering 234 strikeouts.

Snell lets up a lot of walks, though, which could end up being a curse for the Red Sox's shoddy defense — one of the worst defensive teams in the league can't stand to put more people on base.

But a starter that gives up a lot of free passes is better than four relievers and Bello in the starting rotation. Snell would give the Red Sox strikeouts and mileage that they would be hard-pressed to find from anyone else available. He would be expensive, but with the recent news that he and his agent Scott Boras would accept a deal like the one Cody Bellinger did from the Cubs, Boston could, and should, swing it.

Trade for Dylan Cease

The Chicago White Sox had their young ace Dylan Cease on the trade block earlier this season and the Red Sox expressed interest in him. The two sides did not get close enough on an exchange to generate any real hype this winter, but now Boston should reconsider its prior offers.

Chicago's price for Cease has been regarded as quite high by teams looking to make an exchange and no one has approached the desired compensation. The White Sox reportedly told their young star that as soon as a team meets their steep demands, he'll be shipped elsewhere.

The Orioles were able to trade for Corbin Burnes with the sixth and seventh-best prospects in their top-tier farm system. The Red Sox's farm is up near the top of the list with the Orioles', and one would like to believe that the White Sox would be willing to listen to some offers from Boston. Cease is under contract until 2026 so the Red Sox would need to make a very compelling offer, which they aren't in the business of doing in recent years.

The White Sox are hungry for MLB-ready talent to try to make their way out of the basement of the American League Central, much like the Red Sox are trying to do in the East. Wilyer Abreu, Nick Yorke and Wikelman Gonzalez would be fine options to pitch to Chicago, as they're all ready or close to ready for big-league action.

Inquire about a trade with the Mariners or Marlins

This offseason, the Mariners were looking to shop some of the young arms in their rotation in favor of infield talent. The Red Sox need arms, now more than ever, and they have a surplus of young infield talent in their farm system — it could be a perfect match.

Seattle was looking to potentially offload Bryan Woo or Bryce Miller, both of whom are 24 and 25 years old, respectively. Both pitchers are under contract until 2029 and would likely warrant quite a trade offer from the Sox. Woo pitched to a 4.21 ERA over 87.2 innings and he posted 93 strikeouts. Miller logged a 4.32 ERA over 131.1 innings with 119 strikeouts and just 26 walks.

The Marlins have also been open to shopping some of their young pitching talent and their farm is overflowing with good candidates. Miami needs help at shortstop, and Boston could definitely deliver.

Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers would be fine choices for trades to the Sox. Cabrera posted a 4.24 ERA over 99.2 innings with 118 strikeouts in 2023. Rogers only pitched 18 innings last season, but he's earned an All-Star appearance and Rookie of the Year considerations in 2021. He could be a great bounce-back candidate in 2024.

The Red Sox have so many middle infield prospects, and they don't even know what to do with them all. Shortstop prospect Ceddanne Rafaela has been transitioned to the outfield, but that won't work for all of them. The best way to get value out of top prospects would be to trade them for a proven player, and Boston needs a proven pitcher ASAP.