Despite their mountains of pitching depth at the beginning of the season, the Boston Red Sox have found themselves in the starting pitcher market ahead of the trade deadline. They traded Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals, Sonny Gray is the only right-hander in their rotation, and rookies Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle have a lot of mileage on their arms already.
If Boston had its eye on Los Angeles Angels righty José Soriano as a complement to Gray, it lost its chance early on deadline day. The Toronto Blue Jays surprisingly swooped in and traded for Soriano from their spot in last place. The Angels' return package includes No. 2 Jays prospect, shortstop Arjun Nimmala and two other prospects.
Soriano has posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 127 strikeouts and 57 walks over 123 innings. He started the season off insanely hot with a 0.84 ERA over his first seven starts, but he came back to earth slightly.
The Blue Jays were clearly thinking about the future when they added Soriano. The righty has two years of team control remaining and doesn't become a free agent until after the 2028 season.
There are multiple right-handed rental starter options available, but the best ones will be off the market soon — or they might not be on it, at all. The Detroit Tigers began their trade deadline with the seemingly inevitable trade of Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they aren't expected to have a fire sale afterward. Rental starter Casey Mize could still be on the table for the right price.
Blue Jays' José Soriano trade takes righty starter off board, but Red Sox could still target Casey Mize or Clay Holmes
Mize could be a great candidate for the Sox's rotation as he'd come at a lower price than Soriano and the Tgers' return for Skubal was pretty pitiful compared to what most fans expected. Boston has the farm system depth to deal a top prospect and a few others for a player of Mize's caliber.
The veteran has posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 85 strikeouts and 19 walks over 86.2 innings of work. His season has been shortened by two stints on the injured list with adductor issues and his fastball velocity was down in his last outing, which could raise concerns in front offices around the league — but it also means the Sox might be able to get him for an even lower price. Mize still pitched well on July 25, regardless of his velo dip, allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts.
Multiple sources have reported traction in New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes' market. Holmes, a former New York Yankees closer, has found success across town in the Mets' rotation and he could bolster the Sox's rotation as another right-handed option behind Gray, or even move to the bullpen in a pinch.
Holmes is currently on a rehab assignment after his leg was fractured by a comebacker on May 15. He's performed well during his rehab stint, having given up five earned runs on 12 hits with eight strikeouts and four walks over 11.2 innings. Before his injury, he'd pitched to a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 52.2 innings. His recent injury could make him a cheaper addition for the Sox following their massive deal for Adley Rutschman.
The 6 p.m. deadline is closing in and the Red Sox would benefit from another rotation arm to eat some innings and take some pressure off the rookies. Mize or Holmes would be solid additions to the rotation as veteran righties who could guide the staff with Gray.
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