Red Sox Predicted To Land Padres $109M Cy Young Contender In Massive 6-Player Swap

There's a lot of optimism surrounding the Boston Red Sox on this baseball holiday, and a lot of that has to do with the revamped starting rotation.

Garrett Crochet has arrived to lead that rotation, while Walker Buehler presents a high upside as a bounceback candidate. The Red Sox also have several exciting returners, plus promising rookie Richard Fitts.

Injuries took their toll in spring training, however, as three Red Sox starters (Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito) are starting the season on the injured list. Though none of those absences are expected to last beyond April, it's a reminder that things don't always work out as planned.

Could the Red Sox look to fortify the rotation with another ace at the trade deadline? One baseball writer thinks it's within the realm of possibility, especially if the team finds itself in playoff position with a chance to do some damage.

On Thursday, Conor Ryan of Boston.com predicted that the Red Sox would pull off a trade to land both starting pitcher Dylan Cease and closer Robert Suarez from the San Diego Padres, sending a massive four-player haul back to the Friars.

"In an effort to add both a high-impact reliever and another elite starter to put Boston’s rotation over the top, the Red Sox pull off a blockbuster with a disappointing Padres team — trading Wilyer Abreu, Kutter Crawford, and prospects Luis Perales and Franklin Arias for starter Dylan Cease and closer Robert Suarez," Ryan wrote.

"Crochet and Cease become one of the best 1-2 punches in the big leagues, although the Red Sox will have their hands full working on new deals with both starters — especially with Cease (and his agent, Scott Boras) seemingly set to cash in as a free agent this winter."

The logic behind trading each of those four players is sound--Abreu would quickly be replaced by top prospect Roman Anthony, Arias is a long way from the majors, and the team would be sacrificing the two pitchers with control to get themselves another ace. But the full package definitely has a chance to haunt the Red Sox if multiple players turn into stars.

Cease is projected for a five-year, $109 million extension by Spotrac. If he's in the Cy Young race, though, it's hard to imagine anything in that ballpark being enough to solidify a deal. There's a real chance he'd be just a rental, especially as the Red Sox try to extend Crochet.

But no one complains about giving up prospects for rentals--if (and only if) they result in championships.

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