Spring training is so close that some pitchers and catchers have already reported to their respective posts in Arizona and Florida, but the Boston Red Sox's roster remains incomplete.
Boston needs an infielder and relief arms to field a better team than it did last year — the infield addition has been the main focus for much, if not all of the offseason. As the Red Sox have coveted a second or third baseman, they've loaded their already-deep rotation with even more depth.
After Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette signed with their new clubs and Ranger Suárez joined the Sox, many reporters and fans believed they could turn their eyes back to the trade market to exchange some of their pitching depth for a second or third baseman. Red Sox beat reporter Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic confirmed that is true (subscription required).
McCaffrey reported on January 30 that Boston continues to hear of trade interest in its stock of starting pitchers. Brayan Bello, Patrick Sandoval and even Jordan Hicks have come up in trade talks.
Red Sox insider reports that starting pitching trade is possible before Opening Day
Bello is the best trade candidate among them, not only for his recent major league success, but because he's on the younger side and signed to an incredibly team-friendly deal. Sandoval is fresh off elbow surgery and only has one year of control remaining on his contract, while Hicks is signed to quite a pricey deal for his recent struggles. Since Bello's value is so high, it'll take quite a return to entice Boston into a trade.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive on January 21 reported that the Red Sox were engaged in "serious trade talks all over the place" to bring an infielder to their roster. Boston has been linked to Ketel Marte, Isaac Paredes, Brendan Donovan, Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw and many other infielders this offseason, but there has been little confirmed movement toward completing a trade.
Many of the best publicly available trade candidates don't suit the Red Sox's needs in one way or another. Paredes is a slugger and pull hitter, but he's a bad defender. Brendan Donovan is a consistent hitter, but he's left handed and doesn't hit for power. Marte is no longer available while Hoerner and Shaw's status as trade pieces is unknown, but a deal is seen as unlikely.
It would be shocking to see Bello go before Opening Day (Sandoval and Hicks less so). While Boston is desperate for an infielder, it shouldn't make too hasty a decision if trading Bello is involved. It has plenty of pitching depth, but as it sees year in and year out, injuries can decimate a rotation at a critical time.
It's possible no pitching trade goes through before Opening Day. The Red Sox have had a hard time meeting other teams' demands and vice versa because asking prices have been ridiculously high. If a trade does occur, it will be interesting to see which Sox pitcher goes, and if the infielder they get is one of the ones they've been consistently tied to.