Report: American League Team Fielding Offers On Several Pitchers

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Boston Red Sox are in the market for starting pitching.

With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, teams will likely be active in the coming days. The A’s, currently of Sacramento, are reportedly listening to offers on several of their starting pitchers.

Luis Severino, JP Sears and Jeffrey Springs are all available, according to Ken Rosenthal. The Red Sox are looking to add to their rotation, and increased supply is never a bad thing for a buyer.

Severino is the biggest name of the three. His season has been a mixed bag; he’s registered a 5.10 ERA over 118 1/3 innings. He’s publicly complained about the ballpark conditions in Sacramento, though, and has pitched much better on the road. His 3.10 road ERA is significantly better than his 6.68 home ERA. His four-seam fastball is his most used pitch, but it doesn’t come with the qualities the Red Sox usually target, so he may be ruled out as a trade candidate.

Sears is another arm that’s for sale. His season-long line isn’t pretty: a 5.13 ERA and 19.4% strikeout rate over 101 2/3 innings. The underlying stats suggest Sears could be turned into a solid arm, though. His fastball is incredibly flat and plays well at the top of the zone. His sweeper is effective against left-handed hitters as well. He’s also in the zone a ton and limits walks. Sears isn’t a free agent until 2028. However, while he might be an effective pitcher at some point, it doesn’t feel like the type of “win-now” move the Red Sox are looking for.

Springs is the last name available and has had the most success this season. He has a 4.18 ERA over 21 appearances. His arsenal features heavy fastball usage, but similar to Severino, it’s not the type of pitch the Red Sox target. He uses the pitch to get ahead of hitters, and his changeup and slider to put them away. His changeup in particular is incredibly effective.

Given the Red Sox’s trade preferences, the A’s don’t seem like a great trade partner, at least in terms of starting pitching. If they wanted to trade a relief pitcher such as Mason Miller, that might pique Boston’s interest. Elvis Alvarado and Justin Sterner are also intriguing options to fill out the bottom of the bullpen.