Red Sox Fans Will Love Latest Update Regarding Frontline Starting Pitcher

Boston is in need of a premier arm or two

Scott Neville | Dec 8, 2023

Red Sox Fans Will Love Latest Update Regarding Frontline Starting Pitcher /

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Boston Red Sox

Will new Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow make dramatic additions to the pitching staff this offseason?

The former hurler has placed a priority on the rotation in just about every appearance he's had with the media and reportedly has been very active in pursuit of free-agent starters.

One of the best pitchers available has been a long-rumored target of the Red Sox whose former team reportedly is in line to drop out of the bidding.

"The (Texas) Rangers, facing financial uncertainty due to the potential loss of their local television rights deal, seem unlikely to bring back left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who can argue that he has outperformed Aaron Nola, the (Philadephia) Phillies’ $172 million man, over the past three seasons," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote Friday.

Montgomery posted a 3.20 ERA with a 166-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .247 batting average against and 1.19 WHIP in 188 2/3 innings last season.

The 30-year-old continued to get stronger down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings last postseason on his way to the Rangers' first World Series Championship.

With the Rangers seemingly falling out of the mix and the St. Louis Cardinals electing to sign Sonny Gray, Montgomery likely will not return to either of his 2023 rosters.

The Red Sox value Montgomery above all starters outside of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and are in line to make him a significant offer. Many, including oddsmakers have seen the Montgomery sweepstakes coming down to Boston or Texas.

Throw in the fact that the southpaw is spending this offseason in Boston due to his wife's work commitments, everything appears to be aligning for a partnership between the Red Sox and Montgomery.

Given the New York Yankees acquisition of Juan Soto and the Toronto Blue Jays appearing to be in line to add Shohei Ohtani, the Red Sox could desperately use some upgrades to the pitching staff.

Montgomery would be a strong start in what could become a franchise-altering offseason.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Plan On Trading For Specific Skillset To Upgrade At Second Base

Published Dec 8, 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