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.
Red Sox Rumors: Where are the Red Sox on an Alex Verdugo trade?
The prospect of the Red Sox losing Alex Verdugo in a trade is not a new one; publicly, Verdugo has had nothing but positive things to say about his time in Boston, but at the same time has been cool on the idea of staying and has reportedly had some personality clashes, to put it delicately, with the team behind the scenes. Various potential trades have been tossed around — Verdugo for Gleyber Torres being perhaps the most scintillating one simply on the basis of a deal between historic rivals — but where do the Red Sox stand on Verdugo now that nearly a month has elapsed since the last game of the World Series?
Reports throughout the month have indicated that there's a lot of interest in Verdugo, with Craig Breslow and Boston's front office fielding calls from what seems at this point like about half the league. He's been connected — perhaps speciously, but connected nonetheless — to the Yankees, the Braves, the Mariners; a potential Verdugo/Kevin Kiermaier swap with the Blue Jays is the newest piece of speculation to circulate.
All signs point to Verdugo not playing in a Red Sox uniform next year, and while it seems like Boston is being open about shopping him while waiting for just the right deal, they haven't been able to get anything done yet in terms of an actual move. With Winter Meetings coming up, Verdugo should be a name to keep an eye on at the very least. Given the clear interest in him from outside of Boston and the Red Sox's reticence to give him up easily, there could be a lot of potential for an interesting trade here.
Red Sox Rumors: What are the odds of getting Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Boston?
Speaking of the Red Sox's interest in top-of-the-rotation talent, there's no one better than Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Even though chatter has been swirling more around Yamamoto to the Yankees or Mets, the Red Sox have consistently been linked to Yamamoto since before his recent posting from NPB. Boston might have a leg up as one of only a few teams with a Japanese player, as Yamamoto has professed a preference for playing on a team with other Japanese players. Masataka Yoshida might be even more uniquely appealing to him: they were teammates on the Orix Buffaloes for six seasons and fellow World Baseball Classic champions this year.
As we've mentioned, it seems like the Red Sox have either not been in or have missed out on some of the biggest starting pitchers who might be available this offseason, whether they're free agents or trade candidates. If they continue to pursue Jordan Montgomery and Yamamoto and could work out a way to afford both, they'd have a brand new, fearsome 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation, while also pulling off a couple of the most productive signings that the team has seen in years.