Red Sox Called 'A Team To Watch' For Projected $255 Million Ace By Insider

This team needs starting pitching, whatever the cost

Apr 29, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the Boston Red Sox logo and a field bag during batting practice before the game between the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Waking up on Wednesday felt like the start of a bad dream for Red Sox Nation.

For the first time since Jun. 11, the Boston Red Sox became a sub-.500 baseball team with their loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. After showing promising signs of playoff contention early in the summer, the Red Sox's playoff odds dropped to 1.0%, per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox are 11 games under .500 since the All-Star break, and the pitching staff is the most obvious culprit for their demise. By surrendering four home runs Tuesday night, the Boston staff reached 90 longballs allowed since the All-Star break. No other team has yet allowed 80.

The Red Sox need major pitching reinforcements by the start of the 2025 season. So it's always encouraging to hear their name mentioned alongside a marquee name in the pitching talent pool.

On Wednesday, MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand discussed the possibility of the Red Sox signing Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, the top prize on the free-agent pitching market this winter.

"I think the Red Sox could be a team to watch," Feinsand said. "The Boston fan base is getting a bit restless."

MLB.com Orioles reporter Jake Rill, who saw the rise and fall of the Red Sox this summer from within the division, thought the Red Sox were in play as well.

"I also believe that Burnes going to Boston could make a lot of sense," Rill said. "The Sox already have a solid rotation, and adding Burnes to the top of that staff would create quite a formidable group."

However, MLB.com New York Mets reporter Anthony DiComo was far more skeptical.

"My stock answer on the Red Sox is, 'I'll believe it when I see it,'" DiComo said. "They just haven't landed a true top-tier free agent in so long."

And when it came down to the final rankings, neither Feinsand, Rill, nor DiComo listed the Red Sox among their top four fits for Burnes.

Realistically, there is no good reason Boston should not go after Burnes. They have been under the luxury tax threshold for two years now, and should have at least $60 million in payroll to spend before approaching that threshold in 2025.

Boston can easily build in a number like the $255.5 million Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter projected for Burnes in July. Frankly, they're the Boston Red Sox, and having a payroll at or above the first threshold should be the expectation.

If the Red Sox are not perceived as serious bidders for Burnes this winter, many outraged fans will be making their voices heard by the start of Spring Training.

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