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Red Sox still in market for pitcher, reportedly working to acquire Mariners starter
"We came here a few days ago thinking we needed to improve our rotation."
The Red Sox added a potential ace to their starting rotation on Wednesday by acquiring Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster deal with the White Sox.
But Boston may not be done when it comes to bolstering their pitching corps with top-end talent.
Speaking to reporters at MLB’s Winter Meetings in Dallas, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow stressed that Boston remains focused on adding to a rotation, even with Crochet now in the fold.
“We came here a few days ago thinking we needed to improve our rotation,” Breslow said. “If we exclusively look down one path, we would be closed off from other options. I think that’s still the case. There are still really good players, really good pitchers left on the free agent market, and there are still conversations we are having with teams as trade targets.”
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Bringing in a player with Crochet’s potential would seemingly lessen the need for Boston to remain engaged in other proven aces like free-agent target Corbin Burnes.
However, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier — citing multiple sources — reported on X Wednesday evening that the “Red Sox are still exploring both top-of-the-rotation options – including Corbin Burnes – and mid-tier options.”
Boston has the fiscal flexibility to pursue a former Cy Young Award winner like Burnes, who should easily clear over $200 million with his next contract.
But according to several reports, the Red Sox are also looking to swing another deal, this time with the Seattle Mariners.
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Per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Red Sox “are working to acquire one of the Mariners’ starting pitchers, sources say.”
Both Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times added more fuel to that speculation less than a house later, reporting that the Red Sox and Mariners are engaged in trade talks, with Luis Castillo tabbed as a possible target.
Castillo, 31, may not be as coveted as some of Seattle’s younger arms with team control like Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller.
But Castillo is an established starter with three All-Star nods on his resume. He went 11-12 this past season with Seattle, sporting a 3.64 ERA and striking out 175 batters over 175.1 innings of work.
He finished fifth in the voting for the AL Cy Young Award in 2023, going 14-9 with a 3.34 ERA and striking out 219 batters over 197 innings.
Castillo might be a more appealing trade chip for the Mariners, given that he’s locked into a contract that will pay him $72 million over the next three seasons.
But even if Castillo is a potential target for the Red Sox, the Mariners are apparently putting a premium on their asking price for the veteran.
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As Jude noted on X, “a Luis Castillo-for-Triston Casas deal does seem to make sense for each side.”
Casas has been linked to the Mariners in trade talks throughout this offseason. But Casas’ age (24) and potential as a middle-of-the-order bat with 30+ homer power would seemingly make him a trade target for a similarly young arm on the Mariners’ roster.
Speier did push back on a potential trade involving Casas and Castillo, with a source offering up a straightforward “no” when asked about the rumored move.
Still, even if Castillo-for-Casas isn’t a match, it’s clear that the Red Sox are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to adding more talent on the mound.
As the Red Sox keep assessing options, Breslow stressed that the Red Sox have already addressed a major need by adding a lefty with a devastating arsenal of pitches in Crochet.
“We feel like we got a legitimate number one starter in Garrett; left-handed, a ton of swing and miss, massive strikeouts, and feel like the best is still in front of him,” Breslow said. “We’re excited about what he brings, and obviously, we needed to trade really good players in order to be able to do this, but that’s the cost right now, and we’re very much focused on what we were able to get.”
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