Six Frontline Starters Red Sox Should Target To Bolster Ailing Rotation
Could this be the year the Boston Red Sox finally pony up and acquire a legitimate frontline starter?
A true ace has been missing from the Red Sox's roster since Chris Sale began to endure a series of injuries over the last few years.
Fortunately for Boston, it has plenty of money to spend this offseason and reportedly plan to spend heavily this winter.
While it didn't show up last season, the Red Sox enter the 2023 season with much-improved depth.
Sale, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, James Paxton and Garrett Whitlock already are penciled into the rotation. Tanner Houck is being ramped up as a starter but his role is still largely undefined.
Kutter Crawford, Josh Winckowski and Connor Seabold are depth pieces with Bryan Mata set to enter the mix at some point. On top of all of those players, the Red Sox reportedly are pursuing reunions with both Nathan Eovaldi and Rich Hill.
With so many pitchers occupying spots on the 40-man roster, the best way to improve the roster is by paying up for a frontline starter or two.
Here are a few options capable of taking the rotation to the next level:
Justin Verlander
The seemingly immortal 39-year-old would be a perfect candidate to add to the Red Sox's rotation on a short-term deal with a large average annual value.
Despite his age, the right-hander was 18-4 with a league-leading 1.75 ERA, an incredible 185-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .186 batting average against in 175 innings across 28 starts.
He led the league in wins, winning percentage, ERA+ (220), WHIP (0.83) and hits per nine innings (6.0).
While age is a concern, he's shown no signs of slowing down and should be the top pitching target for Boston.
Jacob deGrom
Red Sox fans have reason to be worried about signing an oft-injured starter after enduring last season's injury-filled debacle.
That said, deGrom might be worth the risk. The 34-year-old posted a 12-6 record with a 1.90 ERA and a near-perfect 248-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 156 1/3 innings over his last two seasons (26 starts).
However, on top of the high asking price deGrom will set (possibly exceeding $40 million per year), the Red Sox would also have to lose out on investing in the farm system due to deGrom's qualifying offer tag. It will cost Boston a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick and $1 million in international spending money as a penalty for exceeding the luxury tax last season.
The right-hander doesn't exactly stand out as the prototype Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom would target, but he'd certainly increase the potential of the roster as well as fan intrigue.
Top Pitcher On Market Could Become Available To Red Sox After Latest Report
Carlos Rodón
A more reliable frontline starter for the Red Sox to pursue would be Rodón, who has dominated in back-to-back All-Star seasons.
The southpaw went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 237-to-52 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .202 batting average against and a league-leading 2.25 FIP in 178 innings (31 starts) for the San Francisco Giants last season. Remarkably, he was even more dominant the season prior.
The 29-year-old has a qualifying offer attached to him as well, which will be a factor for Bloom and company. It appears that the market for Rodón will be vast, and Boston appears to be on the outside looking in.
Kodai Senga
The Japanese star has received a lot of attention not only on this site but across the Boston media. Unlike the first two options, Senga has been linked to the Red Sox repeatedly.
Senga touched 101.9 mph last season and features a filthy splitter alongside his slider and cutter. The righty went 11-6 in the Nippon Professional Baseball League this season with a 1.94 ERA, 156-to-49 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .200 batting average against in 144 innings across 22 games.
When asked, Bloom had plenty to say about the 29-year-old star: "Super-talented, athletic, power stuff. Just a really impressive arm.”
Not only is Senga a more cost-effective option than his already Major League Baseball-established frontline starter counterparts, but he's also exempt from the qualifying offer. Senga's also not subject to NPB's posting rules, so he'll simply cost whatever contract is agreed upon, without other hurdles or penalties.
Red Sox Reportedly Have Heavily Scouted Japanese Ace Kodai Senga
Chris Bassitt
The 33-year-old does not have the pedigree or hype of deGrom or Rodón, but he would have been the best player in the Red Sox's rotation last season.
The righty went 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA, 167-to-49 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .234 batting average against in 181 2/3 innings across 30 starts last season. He's been an underrated talent since debuting in 2014 with a 3.45 career ERA.
Bassitt is a durable option that could stabilize a rotation that features Sale, Paxton and possibly Eovaldi -- all players who frequent the injury list.
Hall of Fame pitcher and Red Sox special assistant Pedro Martinez seemed to seek a player of Bassitt's mold to add into the mix.
"We have Nathan Eovaldi, not at 100%, who could be a number two, number three" Martinez said. "Chris Sale, who's the number one hasn't been healthy lately. So he needs a little bit of breathing room. And we need that guy that needs to be durable, is going to give you an opportunity to win and can be matched up against any other ace from any other team.
"So I would like to see the Red Sox find a top-notch pitcher to take some of the load off Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and the rest of the young staff that we can actually train to be somewhat of an ace, number two, number three, another one could be a vacuum cleaner -- those guys that pitch a lot of innings."
-- Pedro Martinez Details What Red Sox's Top Offseason Priority Should Be
The main issue for Bassitt is that he, like most high-end pitchers available, has a qualifying offer attached to him. Bloom would have to throw away resources for the future in order to add an aging arm. Boston might not be quite there at this juncture of the retooling process.
Taijuan Walker
The third former New York Mets starter on the list is Walker, a pitcher I've been begging the Red Sox to acquire for three straight seasons.
The 30-year-old went 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA, 132-to-45 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .240 batting average against in 157 1/3 innings across 29 starts last season.
Walker did not receive the qualifying offer, and certainly would be in the Red Sox's price range.
The Red Sox could welcome back Michael Wacha, and have already been linked to Andrew Heaney. The latter would be more of a depth option but has some upside after his breakout season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nobody knows how Bloom will attack this offseason, but there are plenty of frontline starters on the market, and the team has plenty of money freed up as they attempt to upgrade.
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