A Red Sox-Cardinals trade to help Boston push for playoffs without Garrett Whitlock

The Boston Red Sox have had one of the more impressive starting pitching rotations in the big leagues in 2024, but that rotation recently took a big hit. Starter Garrett Whitlock suffered an ulnar collateral ligament injury and is set to undergo season ending elbow surgery to repair it.

To solve that new hole in the rotation, Boston will look to the trade market to make a much-needed deal in order to reinforce their pitching staff. There will likely be a ton of talent on the market with the Red Sox likely testing the value of almost each starter available.

One name to watch is the starter from St. Louis, Kyle Gibson of the Cardinals.

A potential Red Sox-Cardinals trade that sends Kyle Gibson to Boston

Kyle Gibson will absolutely draw some interest from contenders at the trade deadline. Gibson, an offseason acquisition for St. Louis, has been a surprising development in 2024. He currently holds a 3.81 ERA across 10 starts.

A realistic trade for a starter like Kyle Gibson would include a few top 15 prospects for the other team. In this Cardinals-Red Sox theoretical trade, that's exactly what the Red Sox would do. They would trade their 9th ranked prospect, Perales, and their 11th ranked prospect, Romero, to acquire Gibson.

For the Cardinals, they're likely going to enter a fire sale in the near future. They need a complete roster reset in order to start building a contending team. This fire sale of the roster could start with the 36 year old starter, Kyle Gibson.

If St. Louis can get two decent potential prospects, like Perales and Romero, they would be in good shape with more players to trade.

For Boston, they need to pick up the pace in the daunting AL East. The AL East is led by the dominant Yankees and Orioles. Boston needs another starter with Gibson's experience in order to compete with these talented teams.

Perales is the big piece in the deal. The righty features an electric fastball with dominant potential. His potential alone would make this trade worth it for St. Louis.

Romero adds in another high potential prospect, this time as a middle infielder. The 20-year-old has an advanced approach at the plate with the ability to add muscle to his frame to add to his power potential.

This is one of those trade ideas that makes sense for both teams. The Cardinals can kick off their rebuild in a big way and the Red Sox would push themselves closer to the top of the AL East.