Insider Names Recent Cy Young Winner As Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Target

Is this winter the time for Boston to go all-in on starting pitching?

Apr 3, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of the Miami Marlins logo silhouetted against the sky at loanDepot park prior to the game between the Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

If the Boston Red Sox are serious about their stated goal of making it back to the postseason in 2025, they simply have to get some starting pitching.

There were some definite positives for the Red Sox rotation in 2024. They had a trio of homegrown starters all make 30 starts or more. They had an All-Star in Tanner Houck. But ultimately, when the ship started sinking in August, there was no true stopper to turn the momentum back around.

That's why the Red Sox need to add a starter this winter, and not just any starter. They need an ace to set the tone for the rest of the pitching staff. Perhaps that means that a trade for a former Cy Young Award winner will be on the table.

Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins is a possible target that could instantly change Boston's fortunes if he returns from his Tommy John surgery at peak form. Chris Cotillo of MassLive named Alcantara among the possible trade fits for the Red Sox in a recent offseason preview.

"John Henry’s curious recent spending habits and the massive surplus of young position players in the organization would seem to form a perfect storm in which Breslow is set up nicely to try to make a trade like the 2017 deal that brought Chris Sale to Boston for a package headlined by Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech," Cotillo said, mentioning Alcantara among the names that could make sense.

Alcantara, 29, was one of baseball's most consistent pitchers in the years leading up to his injury, and had stretches where he was also among the most dominant. He logged an incredible 858 innings in the five-year span from 2019-2023 and pitched to a 3.30 ERA during that time frame.

2022 was easily Alcantara's best season, and if he could ever approximate that for the Red Sox, he would instantly transform them into a World Series contender. He pitched to a 2.28 ERA in 228 2/3 innings, including six complete games, which is a number no other pitcher has sniffed in a season since.

The return for a pitcher of Alcantara's caliber would be steep, even though the Marlins aren't likely to retain him beyond the 2026 season. But if the Red Sox are serious about competing for championships, Alcantara is the type of arm they need to add to their arsenal.

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