Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Ships $27 Million Mariners All-Star To Boston

Should Boston and Seattle link up on an unexpected trade?

May 12, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Hat and glove of Seattle Mariners center fielder Dee Gordon (9) sits in dugout during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Could the Boston Red Sox have more blockbuster trades up their sleeves?

Bringing in Garrett Crochet was vital for Boston this winter, and the Mickey Gasper for Jovani Moran swap was an intriguing minor deal as well.

If the Red Sox are going to continue building their pitching staff via trade, bullpen additions feel more likely than starters at this stage. While it appears Boston will have at least six quality rotation options, it's uncertain who will be in the mix to close out games.

Andrés Muñoz of the Seattle Mariners could be a darkhorse name available on the trade market. Seattle is so desperate for offense, yet so reluctant to move on from any of their excellent young starting pitchers, that they just might dangle their closer instead.

Recently, T.J. Morin of the Sporting News named Muñoz as a potential trade fit for the Red Sox this winter, potentially solidifying the back end of the Boston bullpen.

"Why would the Mariners just let him (Muñoz) go?" Morin said. "Because their GM, Jerry Dipoto, has done it before. He traded Edwin Diaz, who has now blossomed into an elite closer. The Mariners already have a ton of good pitching, so they can afford to lose him. 

"In return, the Sox probably would have to give up lefty hitting, as that is what the Mariners need. Maybe a package centered around Wilyer Abreu or Masataka Yoshida would work." 

Muñoz, 26, made his first All-Star team in 2024, but he's been dominant for the past three years, posting ERAs under three every season with over 12 strikeouts per nine innings. He can blow you away with a 100-mile-per-hour sinker, or embarrass you with a wipeout slider.

Muñoz is entering the final guaranteed year of the arbitration extension he signed with the Mariners a few years back, which pays him $3.4 million this year. But there are three club options for a total of $24 million that run through 2028, so the Red Sox could theoretically get out of the deal as early or as late as they wanted.

It's hard to imagine a Yoshida-for-Muñoz deal working out, especially straight-up, but if Abreu is particularly intriguing to the Mariners, he's probably a more valuable commodity than Muñoz. If Seattle would be willing to tack on a prospect, that's a deal the Red Sox undoubtedly should mull over.

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