Red Sox Named Landing Spot For $500M Ace In League-Altering Trade

The Boston Red Sox acquired an ace in Garrett Crochet last year, but could they be interested in adding another elite arm this winter? Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer tabbed the Red Sox as a fit in a potential trade for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes on Wednesday.

Skenes is arguably the best pitcher in baseball already. He won the ERA title this year and has started the All-Star Game in back-to-back seasons. He has a 1.96 career ERA in 55 starts and is one of the few pitchers in baseball who could move Crochet into the No. 2 spot in a rotation.

Skenes is under club control through 2029, but some experts are already suggesting the Pirates trade him. Back in May, ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that Skenes has no incentive to sign an extension with the Pirates, and the team should trade him now, maximizing his value, since they are not built to win with him right now.

“If they believe they have absolutely no chance of signing him, then they should trade him,” said Passan on “The Pat McAfee Show” in May. “And you can make an argument that they should trade him now.”

Spotrac projects Skenes to sign a 13-year, $506 million deal. The Pirates are never going to meet that asking price, and that price could go up after Tarik Skubal signs. Skenes is the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award this year, but the Pirates have not built a contending team around him.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have plenty of young talent and a roster capable of making a run in the next few seasons. Adding Skenes to the rotation would give the Red Sox two aces. Additionally, the Red Sox are a team that can actually get an extension done with Skenes or sign him in free agency.

Every season the Pirates hold on to Skenes and are not contenders is wasting his value. Trading him for a package of young, talented players could actually help the Pirates get to contention quicker.