Frontline Starter Reportedly Entering Free Agency, Could Red Sox Land Hurler?

Boston's rotation could use the boost

Scott Neville | Oct 29, 2023

Frontline Starter Reportedly Entering Free Agency, Could Red Sox Land Hurler? /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are expected to make some notable changes this winter after hiring a new leader of baseball operations and resetting the luxury tax.

The hefty majority of those changes are presumed to be toward the pitching staff, with an emphasis on the starting rotation.

While names such as Aaron Nola, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery will echo throughout Boston as long as they remain unsigned, there are some interesting options to explore on the international market, and one more intriguing name has popped up.

"News from Japan: Right-handed pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters announced today his plans to move to Major League Baseball for the 2024 season via the posting process," MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Saturday.

Uwasawa posted a 2.96 ERA with a 124-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.14 WHIP in 170 innings across 24 starts this season. The 29-year-old has a career 3.19 ERA and has been one of the most consistent pitchers in Japan over the span of nine years.

The Red Sox have long held a strong scouting presence in Japan and will exhaust all options to improve a rotation that has lagged behind for years. Uwasawa will be one of many names to pay attention to.

More MLB: Red Sox Given Strong Odds To Land Superstar Free Agent This Winter

Published Oct 29, 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