Red Sox Reportedly Could Target Phillies Star In Free Agency

Boston will make some changes this winter

Scott Neville | Oct 31, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly Could Target Phillies Star In Free Agency /

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The Boston Red Sox are going to be forced to invest in the pitching staff this winter after a last-place finish in the American League East.

There will be a slew of frontline starters to choose from between free agency -- both stateside and internationally -- and the budding trade market.

While just about every free-agent hurler capable of posting a 4.00 ERA or lower could be deemed a trade fit, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola makes a ton of sense.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden listed the Phillies ace as a fit for the Red Sox this winter and projected that he would garner a contract in the five-year $125 million range.

"In nine seasons with the Phillies, he’s been reliable and durable, going 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA in 235 starts," Bowden wrote. "He’s finished top seven in the National League Cy Young Award voting three times. Most importantly, Nola has provided at least 180 innings in each of the past five full seasons. He also recorded more than 200 strikeouts in all five of those seasons."

The Red Sox's starters finished with 774 1/3 innings last season, which ranked No. 27 in Major League Baseball. Nola is as reliable as anyone in baseball after making 32 starts in each of the last three seasons.

The one downside is that Nola did not exactly pitch like an ace in 2023. The 30-year-old posted a 4.46 ERA with a 202-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .240 batting average against and 1.15 WHIP in 193 2/3 innings.

It would take Nola plus another high-end arm or two to truly turn the Red Sox around but there is no reason why Boston should not do that. They have a reset luxury tax and the prospect capital to make a trade for a frontline arm such as Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes or Cleveland Guardians' Shane Bieber.

Pairing Nola with another marquee free agent or trade acquisition could be the start of a successful retooling process in Boston under new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

More MLB: Starting Pitcher Explains Why He Chose Rangers Over Red Sox Last Winter

Published Oct 31, 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