Red Sox Rumors: Jordan Montgomery, Alex Verdugo trade, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Boston Red Sox may have been quiet so far this offseason, but it feels like something could be just around the corner. Winter Meetings are coming up and, while very few teams have decided to knock down any major dominoes, it feels almost past time for chips to start coming off the board, whether they're free agents or hot trade candidates. Accordingly, the rumor mill is really starting to get going.
The Red Sox have a lot of money, and based on who they seem interested in having conversations with this offseason, they won't be shy to give it out. Like most MLB teams this year, they're looking for starting pitching. With a lot of good names and good arms out there waiting to get the right deal — Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, former Red Sock Eduardo Rodriguez just a few among them — this is the prime time for Boston to be aggressive about the ones they want.
Rumors are just rumors, but the following three do have some real-world backing that could point to developments, mostly positive, playing themselves out for the Red Sox soon. From outfielders with one foot out the door to the most in-demand international signing we've seen since Shohei Ohtani, here are a few rumors to keep an eye on.
Red Sox Rumors: Jordan Montgomery has moved to Boston
A new and incredibly promising development has made itself known in the realm of Jordan Montgomery's free agency and the Red Sox's interest in him: MassLive reports that he's moved to Boston for the offseason to be closer to his wife, whose dermatology residency is based in the city, and he's been spotted throwing and working out at Boston College. We already know why Montgomery is a top free agent candidate, not just among pitchers but among the entire free agent class, so it makes sense that his move to Boston at a critical time during the offseason is worthy of a headline.
Even if it doesn't have anything to do with his ambitions in free agency and is purely family-related, the Red Sox should view his new proximity to Fenway as a perfect opportunity to bring him to the table and court him. The Red Sox haven't been quiet about their interest in "top-of-the-rotation" talent, but didn't engage much with Aaron Nola, don't have much of a connection to Dylan Cease, and discussions with Blake Snell have taken place, but only on a preliminary basis. The fact that Montgomery now lives right on the team's doorstep is a golden opportunity that the Red Sox will hopefully seize to lock down the ace they desperately need.