Red Sox Linked To Projected $124 Million Ace In Possible Offseason Blockbuster

Here's the blueprint to win the winter...

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) adjusts his hat before pitching in the first inning of the MLB baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

In Major League Baseball, championships are decided in October (okay, sometimes early November). But the work that goes into winning those championships starts the previous winter.

The Boston Red Sox are a club hoping to get back to a championship someday soon, and some obvious roadblocks are preventing them from doing so. The most visible of these roadblocks is a lack of high-end starting pitching--an ace, in layman's terms.

Free agency is an option for the Red Sox to find their next ace, but it will come at a steep cost. Plus, free-agent pitchers are typically older than those available via trade, and the Red Sox would ideally like to land someone who can be a long-term fixture of their rotation.

There are trade candidates everywhere, but one in stands out as a slam-dunk fit. The Red Sox were among the teams listed by Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer as possible trade destinations for Seattle Mariners superstar Logan Gilbert on Friday.

"The logic of trading Logan Gilbert would be straightforward: The Mariners would be selling high and avoiding an arguably even more uncomfortable parting of ways down the road," Rymer said.

"According to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, 'there has been little discussion about a long-term deal' between Gilbert and the Mariners. He isn't due for free agency until after 2027, yet his trade value can perhaps only go lower while his contract demands can only go higher."

Gilbert isn't just an ace, he's a workhorse. The 27-year-old led all major-league pitchers with 208 2/3 innings pitched this season, and he was able to do so because he also led MLB in WHIP, with a sparkling 0.887 mark. His 3.23 ERA was also fantastic, and he was named an All-Star for the first time in his young career.

Regularly approaching 100 miles per hour with his fastball, Gilbert gives hitters fits with his herky-jerky motion and 6-foot-6 frame. He's one of the most uncomfortable at-bats in baseball, and Red Sox fans would delight in seeing him torment hitters wearing a Boston uniform next season.

Gilbert is projected for a six-year, $124 million extension by Spotrac, which should become a top priority for the Red Sox if they successfully trade for the young star. But first things first: Boston needs to get on the phone with the Seattle front office and find out what it's going to take to convince the Mariners to part with such an electric arm.

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