Red Sox could push to sign an ace before spring training
Starting pitching has been Boston's biggest need for some time, across multiple seasons. The Red Sox lost three starting pitchers this offseason in Chris Sale, James Paxton and Corey Kluber. Instead of adding three starters to the rotation, Boston signed one in Lucas Giolito and is expecting its relievers to pick up the slack.
That plan is not going to work.
Last year's Red Sox rotation only pitched 774.1 innings between all the starters, which is good for the fourth-lowest number in the league. Boston had more true starters last year and it still couldn't even keep its pitchers in the game for the long haul.
The Red Sox have the capability and money to sign any starter they want, but despite their every move being filmed for a Netflix documentary, it seems like they'd rather field a bad team. Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are still available and Boston could afford either of them. The Sox have been connected to Montgomery over and over this offseason and Boston has been named as the best suitor for him.
If the Red Sox can manage to trade Jansen and free up the $16 million he would cost them in 2023, they should use the money to go toward signing Montgomery. They need an experienced pitcher who can eat innings and help the reliever-to-starter transition journeys. Montgomery is the best remaining choice and it's time to swallow the stress of investing big money.