The Boston Red Sox have spent much of the offseason watching other teams invest in their franchises through big free agent and trade signings.
Meanwhile, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who has been hampered by primary owner John Henry’s unreasonable budgetary constraints, has primarily engaged in mid-level trades.
The one moderate free-agent investment he made quickly came back to haunt him, as right-hander Lucas Giolito is slated to have season-ending elbow surgery.
With Giolito out, the Red Sox are in severe need of assistance and may resort to outside sources to bolster their pitching staff. There are some shockingly talented pitchers available at this time of year, and there is conjecture that Boston may make a move.
“I think that this opens them up for maybe a veteran on a short-term deal if Mike Clevinger or Michael Lorenzen is willing to sign for cheap,” MassLive’s Chris Cotillo said on Friday’s “Fenway Rundown” podcast. “So far that has not hasn’t been the case, that hasn’t happened but it is also March 8th.”
Jordan Montgomery remains the clear-cut most sensible addition for the team’s long-term prospects, but Boston hasn’t behaved sensibly since the 2018 championship core was dismantled.
It still makes sense for the Red Sox to load up for 2025 while making the 2024 product more enjoyable to watch, but if Henry didn’t think the team was good enough to spend in before, Giolito’s injury will not help.
Montgomery must sign somewhere, and the Texas Rangers are allegedly out — but that chase is virtually a separate matter because he is more than simply a filler in the current rotation.
Lorenzen and Clevinger were a much better match. The former was an All-Star last season, but he broke apart near the conclusion of the season, resulting in a 4.18 ERA, which is not to be taken lightly. The latter is a far more proven commodity, with a 3.77 ERA in 2023 and a 3.45 ERA throughout seven seasons.
Players of this caliber are rarely available at this late date, and they will most certainly be priced significantly lower than they would have been in previous years.
Boston would be wise to take advantage of a deal while also allowing one of Garrett Whitlock or Tanner Houck to return to the bullpen, where they both belong.
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