Blue Jays All-Star Seen As Best Fit For Red Sox In Trade Deadline Stunner

The Red Sox should look into an intriguing trade with one of their biggest rivals

Mar 6, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; A detailed view of the Toronto Blue Jays logo on a building at TD Ballpark during the spring training game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline just weeks away, chatter is about to pick up in a major way.

The Boston Red Sox certainly will be mentioned a lot. Boston is in a weird spot. The Red Sox have performed well above expectations and are in contention for an American League Wild Card spot. While this is the case, it's unclear if the front office will be willing to invest in the current club.

Hopefully, they do. Boston has been significantly better than expected and has been a fun team to watch despite a plethora of high-impact injuries. The Red Sox should be looking to add and if that ends up being the case, Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Yusei Kikuchi was mentioned as an option by ESPN's David Schoenfield.

"The Red Sox are too good to punt, but too far behind the (Baltimore Orioles) and (New York Yankees) in the division to go all-in with a major trade that will deplete the farm system," Schoenfield said. "They don't have a glaring hole, although the rotation hasn't been as dominant of late after a hot start -- plus, they'll have to worry about Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford reaching career highs in innings soon.

"They could also upgrade DH -- although, they're paying Masataka Yoshida a lot of money -- or shortstop so that they could move Ceddanne Rafaela back to the outfield. Starting pitcher feels like the need here, though. Besides those we've mentioned, if the Blue Jays do indeed decide to deal players away, add Kikuchi to the list since he's heading to free agency."

Kikuchi plays for one of Boston's biggest rivals but he likely wouldn't cost too much because he is sporting a 4.18 ERA in 17 starts. Although his numbers don't jump off the page, he has one All-Star nod under his belt and had a 3.86 ERA last season with the Blue Jays. He could help shore up the back of the rotation.

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