The Red Sox haven’t built any goodwill with their fanbase this offseason, but that could all change if one recent report leads to a move.
San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease reportedly has some fans in Boston.
“The Red Sox are among the teams with interest in Dylan Cease,” MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported on Tuesday. “He is an option for them on the trade market if (Corbin) Burnes and (Max) Fried sign elsewhere.”
How is that for a pivot?
Boston suddenly finds itself scrambling for starting pitching, as Fried decided to sign with the New York Yankees, and multiple reports have tied Burnes strongly to the San Francisco Giants — though no deal has been agreed upon. Garrett Crochet has been suggested as a possible trade target, but the hometown club reportedly hasn’t been “an aggressor” like the two teams in New York — who clearly aren’t done spending.
Cease, who might be the best pitcher of the four we’ve mentioned, is the latest to receive “interest” from the kings.
Do we really think San Diego would make that move, though?
The Padres might not have much of a choice, as they face payroll constraints and are “at least exploring” the 28-year-old’s trade value, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Roki Sasaki has also been heavily linked to The City In Motion, with his arrival providing a formidable one-two punch with his childhood idol Yu Darvish. Michael King is also coming off a tremendous postseason, with Matt Waldron, Randy Vasquez, Adrian Morejon and Bryan Hoeing serving as internal options to fill out that rotation.
The Red Sox have the horses to facilitate a trade, it’s just a question as to whether they’d be willing to give up on some valuable names to get things done.
