If there was one dominant theme from the Boston Red Sox offseason, it was that Craig Breslow vastly preferred to navigate the trade market over free agency. With Ranger Suárez as the notable exception, the rest of Boston's impact additions all came via trade.
Now, we're getting word that Breslow might not be done. There's a decent chance that another trade could be on the horizon for the Red Sox. No, it doesn't seem that the awkward outfield logjam might finally be addressed. Instead, a solution to a different problem is on Breslow's mind — the lack of a quality left-handed reliever, other than Aroldis Chapman.
The Red Sox have certainly parted ways with a lot of left-handed bullpen depth this season, and now in spring training, they're in a precarious position. With Chapman locked in the ninth inning, Jovani Morán is the most experienced Sox southpaw in the bullpen mix, but he's thrown just four major league innings over the past two seasons. To say that this is a dire need is an understatement.
According to reports, Boston doesn't have much interest in two of the top left-handed free-agent relievers, Jalen Beeks and Danny Coulombe. Beeks presents some red flags, like a declining strikeout rate and uneven performance in recent years, but Coulombe would be a nice get as one of the better lefty specialists over the past several years.
Red Sox could have another trade up their sleeve in the hopes of finding left-handed relief help
The Red Sox reportedly had interest in Coulombe, who is coming off a 2.30 ERA performance, in early January, but now it seems that they'd rather find a trade partner.
The problem they'll find is that there aren't many clubs looking to deal right now. Bullpen battles are one of the predominant features of spring training, so many clubs would prefer to keep their relief depth around for the next couple of weeks to see how things shake out. Those who are available are likely low-tier options, some of whom could find themselves on the waiver wire in a few weeks.
That makes having confidence in them finding a difference maker a tough thing to do. However, there could be an exception, and an old friend could be willing to help out.
St. Louis Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero is thought to be available for the right price. The 29-year-old is in his final year of team control, so while he could serve as the Cardinals' closer, his value to the rebuilding effort is likely tied to the kinds of prospects he can bring back, either now or at the trade deadline.
Romero isn't the perfect option. He walks too many batters at times, and he only has one year of elite production. That career year came in 2025, though, when he posted a 2.07 ERA in a career-high 61 innings.
Breslow and Chaim Bloom have done business several times already this winter, and the familiarity could go a long way towards closing on a deal. The sticking point is whether Bloom believes he can extract more value from Romero at the deadline if the lefty can prove he can reliably close out games in the first half.
We'll have to wait to see how things shake out. This could be a very modest addition, or something more. What we do know is that, for better or worse, Breslow is prowling the trade market again, looking for another deal before the regular season kicks off.