Red Sox Reportedly Looking To Trade Market For Top-Tier Starting Pitcher

The Boston Red Sox have a lot of work to do this offseason after making an unexpected run to the postseason in 2025. One of their biggest areas of need is a starting pitcher to fill in behind Garrett Crochet, and it sounds like the front office has a plan of attack for this position.

Last year, the Sox pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox that landed them Crochet. In his first season with Boston, Crochet was spectacular, as he posted an 18-5 record with a 2.59 ERA and a league-leading 255 strikeouts.

The problem was that the rotation behind Crochet left something to be desired. Lucas Giolito was solid, but he’s set to hit the open market, and Brayan Bello often looked more like a No. 3 starter than a No. 2 starter.

While top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early flashed their potential late in the season, Boston wants a more established No. 2 option working behind Crochet. Per some recent rumors, it sounds like the front office is more inclined to find that player on the trade market than in free agency.

“The Red Sox are focused on adding starting pitching, and they have plenty of prospects in their strong farm system to perhaps trade for top arms like Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene or Freddy Peralta,” Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported.

“They also have the financial freedom to land one of the top starters in free agency, though trading for a top-tier starter is their preferred route.”

The Red Sox are in a good position to make some big moves this offseason, as they have a deep farm system and tons of money to spend after trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants midway through the 2025 season. How they go about improving their roster, though, will determine just how much they are able to improve next season.

Not many teams have the ammo to pull off back-to-back blockbuster trades for starting pitchers, but Boston is one of the exceptions. As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them find a way to potentially top the trade for Crochet from last offseason over the next few months.