MLB Rumors: Ohtani market growing, Red Sox ace hunting, Mariners-Orioles trade buzz
- The Mariners and Orioles look like offseason trade dance partners
- Red Sox are hunting for an ace in free agency or via trade
- Shohei Ohtani's free agency market is getting quite crowded
MLB Rumors: Red Sox trying to add an ace by trade or free agency
Any Boston Red Sox fan will tell you that pitching has been a severe issue for the club in recent years. It's something that has plagued the team, whether because of injuries, poor roster decisions, or just general ineffectiveness of the arms they've put on the mound.
Subsequently, upgrading the pitching staff appears to be one of the top priorities for the new head decision-maker in the Red Sox front office, Craig Breslow, who replaces the much-maligned Chaim Bloom inside the bowels of Fenway Park to try and get this proud franchise back into contention. And there are moves to make in order to potentially make that happen by adding an ace to the rotation in the 2023-24 offseason.
On Sunday, USA Today insider Bob Nightengale reported that three aces could be on the trade market this offseason: Corbin Burnes of the Brewers, Tyler Glasnow of the Rays, and Shane Bieber of the Guardians. Meanwhile, it was an easy connection for Stephen Mottram of Inside the Red Sox to make that Boston could be in pursuit of any of these three with their rich farm system and a desire to make a splash.
Beyond that, though, Jim Bowden's Top 40 free agents and possible landing spots published to The Athletic ($) connected the Red Sox to a bevy of ace-caliber arms including Shohei Ohtani (after not pitching in 2024), Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, and several others.
Connecting the dots, the Red Sox need an ace, they have a new pseudo-GM that will look to make an immediate impact, and there are an abundance of top-tier arms that could be had by Boston. The Sox are going hunting for an ace, and they'll have plenty of shots to bag one in the offseason.