Red Sox Reportedly Showing Interest In Surprisingly Available Starter

Boston certainly will be busy over the next few days

Jul 15, 2020; Los Angeles, California, United States; A general overall view of the Los Angeles Dodgers logo at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox are looking for ways to bolster the back of the starting rotation and could get a deal done in the near future.

Boston needs to add at least one starter over the next few days and certainly could do so. The Red Sox have had a hole in the rotation with Garrett Whitlock out but it doesn't seem like that will be the case for much longer.

The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline is just four days away and it would be shocking if Boston didn't get at least one deal done ahead of it.

There will be plenty of options out there for the Red Sox to choose from and they reportedly are showing interest in a reunion with James Paxton after he recently was surprisingly designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"The Red Sox have some interest in James Paxton, a surprise Dodgers DFA," Heyman said. "Boston is right to bring back Alex Cora, who goes from $3M to $7.25M. Which shows that Craig Counsell’s $8M-a-year contract helped a lot more than the World Series win."

Paxton made 18 starts for the Dodgers -- including a recent five-inning, two-run affair against Boston -- before being designated for assignment. He logged a 4.43 ERA and had an 8-2 record before being DFA'd.

The Red Sox need another starting pitcher and could use a lefty. Boston's rotation is very righty-heavy right now but landing a familiar option like Paxton could be a low-cost way to help fix one of the club's biggest issues.

More MLB: Red Sox, Yankees Reportedly In Bitter Race To Acquire Red-Hot Hurler