Astros Ace Reportedly On Trade Block; Red Sox Listed As Top Landing Spot

Boston is in search of a frontline starter

Scott Neville | Dec 21, 2023

Astros Ace Reportedly On Trade Block; Red Sox Listed As Top Landing Spot /

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Would the Boston Red Sox shake up the American League by trading for the Houston Astros ace?

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is hunting for multiple starting pitching additions and could turn to Houston to bolster his pitching staff in the form of left-hander Framber Valdez.

The Astros are not actively looking to move their ace but reportedly would like to cut payroll and have taken calls from more than five teams regarding the 30-year-old hurler according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Sunday.

If Valdez trade talks intensify, the Red Sox are expected to be in the mix. There's a good chance they've already inquired.

Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer connected the two sides after it was revealed that Boston's reported $300 million offer for Yoshinobu Yamamoto was inaccurate.

"Though that doesn't mean the Red Sox are out on the (Yamamoto) altogether, indications are that they're not a favorite for him either," Rymer wrote Wednesday. "If so, having to pivot to other potential rotation saviors may be inevitable."

Valdez posted a 3.45 ERA with a 200-to-57 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .228 batting average against and a 1.13 WHIP in 198 innings last season, finishing ninth in American League Cy Young voting.

The southpaw is under team control for two more seasons, which would put the Red Sox in play -- Breslow has essentially shut down the idea of trading for one-year rentals.

It makes more sense to dive into the deep free-agent pitching market but if options thin out the Red Sox could invest in Valdez. He'd immediately become the best starter in Boston.

I don't envision this move happening but Valdez certainly is a name to keep an eye on moving forward.

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Published Dec 21, 2023

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