Dream Boston Red Sox starting rotation if Craig Breslow makes big splashes

Red Sox No. 1 starter: Jordan Montgomery, LHP

And now we arrive at the big fish that the Red Sox could possibly land in free agency this offseason outside of the Japanese sensation, Yamamoto. Full disclosure, the first draft of the Red Sox dream rotation featured NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell as the No. 1 in this rotation, getting Boston a lefty at the top again and someone who is familiar dominating the AL East.

Then came reports this past week that the Red Sox actually prefer World Series winner Jordan Montgomery to Snell in terms of landing an ace in free agency. So who am I to argue with the buzz about what this team is going to do coming from insiders (even if I think Snell is a slightly better option, though he may be more costly).

Montgomery has weird split his past two seasons with three teams, being traded for Harrison Bader from the Yankees to the Cardinals at the deadline in 2022 only for St. Louis to bottom out in 2023 and trade him to the Rangers, where he went and helped earn Texas its first World Series ring. What's most odd about his movement is that he's been good at every single stop.

Across 32 starts with the Yanks and Cardinals in 2022, he posted a 3.48 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. He followed that up with a 3.20 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 32 starts with the Cards and Rangers, including a 2.79 ERA with Texas. He was also nails in the postseason and truly a vital part of his club winning the World Series.

The lefty was already going to be a hot commodity in free agency but he's turned that heat up exponentially. Boston is going to be involved and Montomgery has proven he can be a legitimate anchor for a rotation at the top.