Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers Reportedly Involved In Bidding War For Premier Starter

Boston could use a boost to the rotation

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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Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has already completed four trades ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline and does not appear to be slowing down in the waning hours.

After making a couple of ancillary moves to acquire left-hander James Paxton and catcher Danny Jansen, Breslow swung a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates to bolster the starting pitching pipeline but had yet to make a meaningful move to the big-league roster.

The first-year leader of baseball operations woke up Tuesday with a little more aggressiveness, snagging right-handed reliever Lucas Sims from the Cincinnati Reds on a rental deal and now reportedly has his sights set on one of the best starters available.

"Hearing the (Los Angeles) Dodgers, (New York) Yankees and Red Sox are among teams with interest in (Detroit) Tigers top right-hander Jack Flaherty," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Tuesday afternoon.

Flaherty has a 2.95 ERA with a spectacular 133-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .211 batting average against and a 0.96 WHIP in 106 2/3 innings across 18 starts this season.

The homegrown St. Louis Cardinal finally appears to be the ace many expected him to become when he broke into the league seven years ago.

The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers in the offseason and will be one of the most-coveted targets for all contenders, apparently including three of the top markets in the sport.

Breslow has shown some willingness to deal from his farm system in trades made in the days leading up to the deadline but should be wary of the current prices out there.

The package the Houston Astros sent the Toronto Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi sent waves through Major League Baseball as a massive overpay. The Baltimore Orioles' offer to acquire Trevor Rodgers from the Miami Marlins was not light either.

Flaherty would be the perfect addition to the reeling Red Sox pitching staff but Breslow will have to be wise here. The good news? If the veteran performs in Boston, the club certainly has the resources to retain him, lessening the blow of dealing notable prospects.

Also noteworthy, Flaherty was moved from the Cardinals to the Orioles at last year's deadline and completely exploded, posting a 6.75 ERA in 34 2/3 innings -- he eventually was moved into the bullpen. Hopefully, he can handle the bright lights this time around.

More MLB: Potential Red Sox Trade Target 'Name To Watch' With Deadline Looming

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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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