Red Sox Targeting 'Front-Of-The-Rotation Type' Starting Pitcher This Offseason

Boston could use a true ace next season

Scott Neville | Nov 14, 2023

Red Sox Targeting 'Front-Of-The-Rotation Type' Starting Pitcher This Offseason /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have been building their rotation with oft-injured, high-upside, low-floor starters over the last few seasons and banked on their high-octane offense to get them to the promised land.

The plan has not worked and the team's need for a true ace has never been bigger. It's clear that the Red Sox could use multiple offseason additions to the rotation and reportedly plan to end up with at least two new starters via free agency or trade.

Boston will be in the market for a premier arm to kick off the winter, which has been reinforced by multiple reports.

"Boston is targeting a front-of-the-rotation type (starting pitcher)," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday.

Passan reported that the Red Sox will be involved in the bidding war for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, alongside the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also said the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays might get involved.

Yamamoto is the top pitcher on the market and could command over $200 million this winter. After him, there still is a bevy of frontline starters to target.

Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Eduardo Rodriguez, Marcus Stroman and Lucas Giolito all fit the description in free agency. Shota Imanaga and Yariel Rodriguez are intriguing international options who could develop into top-tier starters as well.

The trade market could boast Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes, Tampa Bay Rays' Tyler Glasnow, Cleveland Guardians' Shane Bieber and possibly even Chicago White Sox's Dylan Cease.

The Red Sox should have one or hopefully two of the aforementioned names on the roster by Opening Day, Yamamoto being the clear-cut top choice.

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Published Nov 14, 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