Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Could Swing Rare Intra-Division Trade To Find Exactly What Craig Breslow Reportedly Is Seeking

Boston could use the southpaw in the rotation

Scott Neville

Mar 12, 2022; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Craig Breslow arrives during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2022; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Craig Breslow arrives during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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Would the Boston Red Sox consider trading with an American League East rival in order to make a serious run this summer?

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is closing in on his first trade deadline for a team that currently holds the third AL Wild Card spot and -- barring a slide in the coming weeks -- appears to be in line to buy.

Should they do so, Breslow reportedly has interest in acquiring a left-handed starter prior to the July 30 deadline and could line up well with the Toronto Blue Jays, who are 6 1/2 games back of a wild card spot following a 2-8 skid.

Blue Jays southpaw Yusei Kikuchi is a prime player to be moved should Toronto punt on the 2024 season and would make a lot of sense to bolster the Red Sox's right-handed heavy rotation.

Kikuchi has a 4.00 ERA with an 86-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .277 batting average against and a 1.33 WHIP in 83 1/3 innings across 16 starts.

While he allows a concerning amount of hits, his ability to prevent walks would provide a level of stability every fifth day and fits well into pitching coach Andrew Bailey's staff. His 3.52 FIP implies that even stronger days are ahead after a solid start to the season.

There are a plethora of options to explore in the starting pitching market. Kikuchi could be an affordable option to rent for the home stretch.

More MLB: Red Sox Linked To Angels Ace In Potential Major Trade Deadline Deal

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Scott Neville

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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