Red Sox Insider Predicts Boston Ends Up With Pair Of Intriguing Starters

Boston could use some impactful starting pitching

Scott Neville | Dec 11, 2023

Red Sox Insider Predicts Boston Ends Up With Pair Of Intriguing Starters /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are one of many big-market teams waiting for the starting pitching market to defrost.

While the hot stove continues to preheat, the Red Sox will sort out all kinds of potential combinations to fill out the rotation. All possible plans should include at least two impactful additions to the roster.

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey predicted which starters will ultimately end up in Boston after what hopes to be an eventful end to the offseason.

"I’m going with (Jordan) Montgomery and (Shōta) Imanaga on the pitching front," McCaffrey wrote Monday. "That MassLive report that Montgomery was living in Boston this winter because his wife is a dermatology resident at one of the hospitals in the area really intrigued me."

McCaffrey and her colleague Chad Jennings agreed that the Red Sox could land Yoshinobu Yamamoto but, like the majority of those making predictions, do not see Boston as the most probable landing spot.

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 between his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers.

I had him as the third-best possible addition in my "19 Best Free Agent Fits For Red Sox" article back in early November, trailing only Yamamoto and Blake Snell. The more I contemplate it, there is a real argument for Montgomery to overtake Snell, due to consistency and the expected gap in contract value.

There has been so much pointing Montgomery to Boston -- the aforementioned offseason move to the city, the Texas Rangers' financial limitations and the Red Sox's perceived prioritization of Montgomery above all other stateside starters -- that I've nearly already penciled him onto the 2024 roster.

Imanaga is another intriguing southpaw who has recently started to be linked to the Red Sox. The 30-year-old projects to be a mid-rotation option in Major League Baseball after a stellar season in Japan.

The Yokohama DeNA BayStars star posted a 2.80 ERA with a 174-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.05 WHIP in 148 innings last season across 22 starts.

Imanaga was the No. 13 player on the best-fit list and the 10th-best option remaining after Sonny Gray, Aaron Nola and Eduardo Rodriguez signed elsewhere.

While it would be encouraging to see the rotation improve -- which it would dramatically if Montgomery and Imanaga came aboard -- those two lone moves without a major splash would be underwhelming following a last-place finish in the American League East for the second year in a row.

McCaffrey has been banging the drum for Brandon Drury (as have I). Pairing a bunch of second-tier moves together could get this team back in the right direction assuming Yamamoto elects to sign somewhere else.

More MLB: Surprise Suitor Reportedly Could Give Red Sox Competition In Pursuit Of Starting Pitching

Published Dec 11, 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