Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox's Reported Trade Target Receives Notable Update With Deadline Looming

Boston could desperately use some pitching help

Scott Neville

Feb 15, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow talks with media at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow talks with media at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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Could the Boston Red Sox make an under-the-radar move to significantly bolster the rotation with a week until the July 30 trade deadline?

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has had starting pitching help and a right-handed bat on his wish list entering the deadline for weeks. While injuries to relievers Chris Martin and Justin Slaten have placed somewhat of an urgency on adding to the bullpen as well -- the aforementioned needs remain the bigger concerns.

It was recently announced that Breslow's former club, the Chicago Cubs have picked a direction ahead of the deadline after faltering in recent months, creating some intriguing scenarios.

"Cubs President Jed Hoyer made it official today: Barring a big win streak over the next week, anything the team does at the trade deadline will be to help them in future years," ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported Monday.

The news comes just one day after USA Today's Bob Nightengale revealed Boston's interest in the Cubs' top trade chip.

“The Boston Red Sox and Yankees have had talks with the Chicago Cubs about starter Jameson Taillon, but the Cubs are undecided whether they will be buyers or sellers,” Nightengale said.

A few hours later, Chicago finally caved on the later detail.

Taillon has a 3.10 ERA with a 75-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .250 batting average against and a 1.16 WHIP in 93 innings across 16 starts this season.

The 32-year-old has not been tossed around in the rumor mill among the likes of other trade chips but that was merely due to the Cubs appearing to be fringe contenders for much of the season.

Taillon signed a four-year, $68 million contract ahead of the 2023 season and still has two years, $36 million remaining on his deal after this stretch run.

The Red Sox should be interested in longer-term starting pitching assets if a deal can come together not involving the top three prospects. While this potential move would fit that description, it's still not necessarily a perfect fit.

It would be wiser to claim or make a buy-low trade for left-hander James Paxton -- who was shockingly designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, than to invest both financially and with prospect capital in Taillon.

If Taillon were cheaper or had just one more year of control after this season, he'd be a much more reasonable target for a Red Sox organization that should reward the current roster with help but not go overboard when the future appears much brighter.

A move to acquire Chicago White Sox's Erick Fedde, who signed a two-year, $15 million contract this past offseason and has a 2.98 ERA in 20 starts would be a much stronger fit.

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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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