MLB Rumors: 3 pitchers Red Sox can’t miss on after trading Chris Sale

1. The Red Sox can't miss on Shota Imanaga after trading Chris Sale

After Snell and Montgomery, there really aren't many other high-end starting pitchers left in free agency, which is what the Red Sox need. Sure, it might not be realistic to bank on Chris Sale to have been that guy, but that's what Boston was prepared to do had they not made this deal.

The next tier of pitchers after Montgomery and Snell include guys like Marcus Stroman, Sean Manaea, and even James Paxton. All of these pitchers have seen success, with Stroman in particular sticking out. None of these would be bad additions, but Boston should try and shoot a bit higher and sign Shota Imanaga from Japan.

All focus this offseason has been on Japanese players such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and rightfully so. However, Imanaga is no slouch. He'd be a difference-maker for this Red Sox team. No, he's not as highly touted as Yamamoto and is five years older, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he's pitched like an ace in the NPB.

This past season he had a 2.66 ERA in 24 starts and 159 innings pitched. In his eight-year career in Japan, he has a 2.96 ERA in 192 appearances. Not too shabby. His numbers are pretty similar to Kodai Senga's back when he was in the NPB. Senga happened to be one of the better pitchers in the National League this past season.

Imanaga would not be as exciting as Snell or Montgomery, and comes with some risk as a relative unknown. However, the risk can turn out to lead to great reward. There's every reason to believe this can be a worthwhile investment for a team that is, once again, desperate for frontline starting pitching.