Marlins Open To Dealing Frontline Starter, Red Sox Floated As Landing Spot

Boston could use the rising star

Scott Neville | Dec 19, 2023

Marlins Open To Dealing Frontline Starter, Red Sox Floated As Landing Spot /

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Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been adamant in his quest to add starting pitching.

So far, the Red Sox have yet to do anything as Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to hold up the top of the market.

Regardless of what happens with Yamamoto, the Red Sox are going to be in the hunt for starting pitching and will have to explore both the free agent and trade markets to find the best fits.

If the Red Sox start to lean toward a trade, the Miami Marlins would be a logical partner. The Marlins have a slew of young starters and are looking for an offensive jolt to their organization. The Red Sox have a deep group of position player prospects.

"(Boston) is evaluating some free agent options here for sure," FanSided's Robert Murray said on "The Baseball Insiders" on Monday. "I also wonder, too, with all the rumors about Jesús Luzardo being available, if they end up missing out on some other targets, that could be somebody they could pursue."

Luzardo posted a 3.58 ERA with a 208-to-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .239 batting average against and a 1.21 WHIP in 178 2/3 innings last season.

The 26-year-old has three seasons of team control remaining and would be a perfect rising star to pair alongside Brayan Bello -- who could form a dynamic duo for years to come.

Luzardo would have led the Red Sox in innings pitched and strikeouts plus posted the best ERA among starters.

Murray mentioned that the Marlins have had conversations regarding trading Luzardo and are looking for top-100 prospects.

The Red Sox have shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 11), outfielder Roman Anthony (No. 35), versatile infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (No. 72) and catcher Kyle Teel (No. 82) in the top 100 according to MLB Pipeline.

Among them, Mayer and Rafaela would appear to be the most likely candidates to be moved.

The Red Sox would benefit greatly from adding Luzardo but would be wise to attempt all free-agent avenues first. There's no need to give up top prospects for a frontline starter when Boston can simply pay up for one or two free agents. The reset luxury tax means there should be nearly no financial restrictions this winter and the pitching market is as deep as it's been in recent history.

An overpay is far better than a trade involving core prospects. Luzardo would be an awesome addition but it's highly unnecessary to move rising stars at this juncture.

As Murray noted, if the Red Sox lose multiple bidding wars -- which would be inexcusable -- then it makes more sense for this type of deal.

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Published Dec 19, 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