Pair Of Rising Stars Linked To Red Sox In Possible Offseason Major Trade

Boston needs to improve its starting rotation and could look to multiple rising stars

The Boston Red Sox already have missed out on the top starting pitcher available this offseason.

Boston attempted to land former Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason but missed out on him. The Los Angeles Dodgers swooped in and landed Yamamoto with a mammoth contract.

There still are some intriguing hurlers available like Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, and Shōta Imanaga, but it's unclear what the Red Sox's plan is now. Boston needs to add pitching and if it misses out in free agency, could turn to the trade market. 

Two hurlers who could be trade options for the Red Sox are Miami Marlins starters Jesús Luzardo and Edward Cabrera, according to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey.

"The Marlins' pair of starters won't become free agents until after 2026 and 2028, respectively, and would offer a prime top-of-the-rotation pairing alongside (Brayan Bello)," McCaffrey said. "If the Red Sox are going to give up (Marcelo Mayer), (Kyle Teel), or (Roman Anthony), doing so for several years of a young pitcher would be the most prudent approach.

"Interestingly, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Marlins considered a trade at the Winter Meetings of Luzardo to the Royals for first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. The Royals opted to sign Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo for their rotation. Pasquantino owns a career 122 OPS+ so if the Marlins are targeting a similar return, maybe they'd prefer Triston Casas over a prospect."

Both Luzardo and Cabrera could be intriguing options. Luzardo is a five-year veteran and is just 26 years old. Plus, he logged an ERA under 4.00 in each of the last two seasons with the Marlins. 

Cabrera is just 25 years old and although he logged a 4.24 ERA in 2023, he had a 3.01 ERA in 2022 and has plenty of upside. Boston has been linked to the Marlins as possible trade partners on multiple occasions and it sounds like rumors are going to continue to build.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Could Look To Trio Of All-Stars To Help Fix Ailing Starting Rotation