Red Sox Reportedly Lose Bidding War To Cubs For Premier Starting Pitcher

Boston continues to be frugal

Scott Neville | Jan 9, 2024

Red Sox Reportedly Lose Bidding War To Cubs For Premier Starting Pitcher /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox's mysterious lack of desire to win continues to grow after losing out on yet another premier free agent they reportedly coveted.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, like his predecessor, appears to be handcuffed by a ridiculously low budget for one of the biggest brands in baseball.

Just days after losing out on outfielder Teoscar Hernández, the Red Sox lost a bidding war to address the biggest hole on the roster.

"The Chicago Cubs have reached a tentative deal with Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga," USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday night. "He will undergo a physical in Chicago on Thursday before the deal becomes official."

Imanaga was the third-best starter available behind fellow southpaws Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery -- and appeared to be the top hurler in Boston's made-up price range.

He was not going to save the Red Sox but he was a strong option to bolster the rotation and his acquisition would have proved the team is capable of winning some bidding wars.

At this point, it feels like the only chance for Breslow to land a notable starter would be via trade -- potentially costing a top prospect such as shortstop Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony or catcher Kyle Teel in the process.

Otherwise, the Red Sox likely would pivot to back-end arms such as James Paxton or Hyun-jin Ryu.

Marcus Stroman appears to be affordable enough and could pitch like an ace or No. 2 but there hasn't been much to link the two sides at this juncture.

The most confusing aspect of this offseason has been that the ownership group's actions aid nobody.

Yes, the cost of winning is frontloaded but the overall rewards are higher when Boston is competitive. Merch sales fly up, tickets are sold out and more expensive. That's not even factoring in home playoff games.

All they are doing is getting less out of one of their largest assets and we now know they have no intent to sell. It's as perplexing as it is frustrating.

More MLB: Red Sox Insider Reveals Whether Ownership Group Intends To Sell Team Amid Rumors

Published Jan 9, 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