The Boston Red Sox have put themselves in a position to add at MLB’s trade deadline, which is less than two weeks away.
But where on the roster should the Red Sox look to supplement as they make a playoff push? FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal sees Boston having one glaring hole it should address at the trade deadline.
“Their biggest need is the rotation. Even though they’re fourth in the majors in rotation ERA, they’re one injury away — and they’ve had some already — from a serious problem,” Rosenthal said prior to the Red Sox facing the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. “Now, the issue is every other contender is pretty much looking for the same thing.”
The Red Sox are basically one starting pitcher short due to the season-ending injury to Garrett Whitlock. Boston has tried Josh Winckowski and Cooper Criswell in the rotation and they both have delivered spotty results.
An upgrade to the rotation certainly would help, especially with starting arms like Tanner Houck already throwing more innings this season than at any point in his career.
Rosenthal revealed the Red Sox could target several pitchers available on the trade market like Jack Flaherty, Garrett Crochet, Erick Fredde, Zach Eflin, Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Bassitt. Eflin is an intriguing option since Boston pursued the right-hander during the 2023 offseason, but it remains to be seen whether the Tampa Bay Rays would trade him inside the division — a similar conundrum for the Toronto Blue Jays when it comes to Kikuchi and Bassitt.
If Boston doesn’t strike a deal for a starting pitcher, then Rosenthal could it going in a different direction.
“The Red Sox also could look for right-handed relief help and a middle infielder, but the rotation is the No. 1 thing,” Rosenthal said.
