Red Sox Reportedly Finalists For Japanese Star Hurler To Bolster Starting Rotation
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The Boston Red Sox may have a big move up their sleeves.
To this point in the offseason, the Red Sox mainly have just rumors to show for. Boston has made two solid moves to improve its bullpen by signing Joely Rodriguez and Chris Martin, but aside from that there's mainly just been rumors.
From what the team plans to do with Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, to other ways to improve the bullpen, there are plenty of rumors. Boston even reportedly was close to inking a deal with former Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle but missed out as the New York Yankees swooped in and completed a deal.
Boston has plenty of holes to fill on its roster if it was to put together a more competitive team in 2023 and one of the most glaring is the starting rotation. With Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha free agents, the Red Sox have Chris Sale, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Whitlock currently looking like the starting rotation.
With Sale and Paxton's injuries, there's no way to be sure how they will look next season. Bello showed glimpses of brilliance but is young. Whitlock has been the team's best reliever over the last few seasons and now seems poised for a new role. Pivetta at times has been the team's best pitcher but also has struggled. The team certainly can improve the rotation whether or not Eovaldi returns, and one way the team has kicked the tires is by signing Japanese star Kodai Senga.
Wherever Senga ends up, he's certainly going to improve the team's rotation. He would be the perfect fit for Boston and the team reportedly is one of the finalists to land Senga, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
The 29-year-old is making the transition from the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization to Major League Baseball for 2023 and he unsurprisingly has had a robust market. Over his 11-year professional career, Senga has compiled a 104-51 record to go along with a sterling 2.42 ERA. In 2022 alone, Senga was 11-6 with a 1.89 ERA in 23 starts across 148 innings pitched.
Boston has plenty of work to do and signing Senga would be a very solid first step to improving the rotation.
More MLB Winter Meetings:
- Red Sox Reportedly Pushing Hard To Ink Deal With Fireballer To Bolster Bullpen
- If This Report Is Accurate, It Would Make Xander Bogaerts Reunion Very Realistic
- Red Sox Place Fan Favorite Slugger On Trade Block After Lackluster Stint In Boston
- Dodgers Reportedly Interested In Snatching Free Agent Slugger From Red Sox
- Potential Red Sox Target Reportedly Expected To Be Dealt, Should Boston Make Move?
