The Boston Red Sox have a well-documented need for starting pitching at the trade deadline. Boston won 10 straight games going into the All-Star break, closing the gap in a competitive AL East and driving home the Red Sox's intention to contend for a World Series, even after the Rafael Devers trade.
Garrett Crochet is a bonafide Cy Young candidate, but the rotation behind him remains arguably Boston's greatest point of vulnerability. Both Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello are trending broadly in the right direction, but neither feels like a bulletproof option in October. Walker Buehler just hasn't found his best stuff yet this season, and Richard Fitts isn't quite there yet in his development. Tanner Houck, Hunter Dobbins and Kutter Crawford are all stuck in the IL, out for the year, which doesn't help.
The most popular trade candidate in Red Sox circles these days would be Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan. He's suave and immensely productive, with a 2.72 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through 18 starts and 109.1 innings pitched. But the Twins are in the Wild Card race and, despite financial concerns, appear committed to Ryan beyond this season.
Thus the Red Sox must look elsewhere. Thankfully, an even better ace is somehow floating around the rumor mill with 11 days until the final trade buzzer.
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Mackenzie Gore would be a dream deadline addition for the Red Sox
Sometimes when one door closes, another door opens to a much better opportunity. That could be the case for Boston, as Washington Nationals ace Mackenzie Gore is expected to generate plenty of trade interest in the coming days. While the Nats don't sound eager to trade Gore, GM Mike DeBartolo told reporters he will "always listen." So, never say never.
Even after the Garrett Crochet trade, Boston has one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. The 'big three' of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell is probably off the table, but the Red Sox can put several intriguing young talents on the board for Washington. Gore was part of a prosperous return package in the Juan Soto trade once upon a time. The Nats know better than most how to evaluate talent and capitalize on peak trade value.
Gore made his first All-Star appearance a few days ago. He has 20 starts under his belt this season, with a 3.59 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across 112.2 innings. The 26-year-old southpaw sits among the MLB leaders for strikeouts with 140.
Red Sox would need to move heaven and earth to trade for Mackenzie Gore
While Gore is certainly possible, we shouldn't yet call him a probable Red Sox addition. In fact, he's far from it. The full quote from DeBartolo is a reminder that, while the Nationals will never close to the door on a blockbuster trade, the organization is hoping to mold this young core into a winner — not keeping kicking the can down the road in perpetuity.
"I’m looking to keep the young, core group of our best players together,” DeBartolo said (h/t MLB Trade Rumors). “Certainly [with] my job, if someone calls, you always listen to what they have to say. But trading away our really high-quality young players is not something I’m looking to do right now.”
Washington has plenty of work left to be done, but very few teams can stumble into a young core as talented as Gore, James Wood and CJ Abrams. As such, do not be shocked if the Nats keep their main pieces in tact and send the Red Sox looking elsewhere. It would take a truly Herculean effort, to the point where maybe Campbell and Mayer do come up in talks if the Red Sox get serious.