Red Sox Insider Predicts Boston Will Trade Star Hurler To Dodgers

Boston could continue to make splashes this winter

Scott Neville | Jan 2, 2024

Red Sox Insider Predicts Boston Will Trade Star Hurler To Dodgers /

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Would the Boston Red Sox move on from their lone All-Star last season after a last-place finish in the historically talented American League East?

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow already has shown a propensity for making bold trades -- having already dealt outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees and left-hander Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves.

Breslow could continue his fearless approach by sending a dominant hurler back to his old club.

In an effort to make New Year's predictions, MassLive's Chris Cotillo dove into why he sees closer Kenley Jansen heading back to the Los Angeles Dodgers via trade.

"There’s just too much smoke about this possibility, especially in the context of the Red Sox telling free agents that they are looking to shed some payroll to accommodate further additions," Cotillo wrote Tuesday.

"There are plenty of capable relievers who can step into the closer’s role (Tanner Houck? Chris Martin? Garrett Whitlock?) without the Sox taking a major hit. Things didn’t end well between Jansen and the Dodgers but a reunion there makes some sense."

Reports of Jansen being on the trade block have spread over the last couple of weeks. Given Breslow's willingness to retool the roster thus far, that should not come as much of a surprise.

Jansen posted a 3.63 ERA with a 52-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .237 batting average against and a 1.28 WHIP in 44 2/3 innings in his debut season in Boston. Most notably, he went 29-for-33 in save opportunities.

The 36-year-old got the job done most of the time but was streaky and is owed $16 million next season. Breslow likely could allocate those funds elsewhere more efficiently.

As Cotillo noted, it was also reported that Boston needed to shed payroll before making a free-agent addition -- likely Teoscar Hernández, who appeared to be close to signing and is now surrounded by relative silence.

If true, that is an incredibly disappointing anecdote, as it would imply that even after the luxury tax resetting, owner John Henry refuses to invest anything of significance into the club that he once cared so much about.

More MLB: Red Sox Willing To Deal Young Prospects To Bolster Pitching Staff

Published Jan 2, 2024

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