On July 3rd, the Boston Red Sox were one of the worst teams in baseball with a 37-48 record. Since then, however, the team has rattled off 15 straight victories and is firmly in the American League playoff hunt. This is thanks in part to a stout 3.55 team ERA, which ranks fourth in baseball. However, not all is perfect.
Boston's projected ace, Garrett Crochet, has been on the injured list since late April. And to make matters worse, the team's high-priced free agent signing, Ranger Suarez, was scratched from his start last night due to soreness. Then, after Sonny Gray, there is uncertainty about young pitchers Payton Tolle and Connolly Early.
Starting pitching is a sneaky need for Boston, and the following trade targets would help turn an already great rotation into one of the league's best come October:
Joe Ryan (Minnesota Twins)
The Boston Red Sox were rumored to be interested in trading for the Twins ace last season and for good reason. In his first All-Star season, Ryan went 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA. Ryan proved that last season's performance wasn't a fluke as he was named to his second straight All-Star Game this year with six wins and a 3.38 ERA.
Ryan,30, is best known for his swing-and-miss stuff. Over the past two seasons, he has thrown 285 innings and struck out 325 batters while limiting walks to a minimum for a 1.06 WHIP.
With 1.5 years left of team control, the asking price for Ryan would be exceptionally high and would likely require the team's top prospect, Franklin Arias, along with an MLB-ready arm such as Early or Tolle and additional prospect capital. But if Boston were to go all-in on winning this year and next, a move for a bona fide ace in Ryan would give the team a dominant rotation when healthy of Crochet, Ryan, Suarez, and Gray.
Clay Holmes (New York Mets)
Boston has a history with the 33-year-old from his parts of four seasons with the rival New York Yankees. Since he gave up the Bronx for Queens, he has been stretched into a top-tier starting pitcher. In 40 starts over the last two seasons, Holmes has a 16-12 record and a 3.26 ERA.
While he is not the strikeout machine that Ryan is, Holmes is one of the best at inducing ground balls, with a 95 ground-ball percentage, per Baseball Savant. What makes Holmes more valuable to Boston is that he could also be deployed in the late innings as a high-leverage reliever to add to the trio of Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman.
Because Holmes has been a very good starting pitcher with the Mets, he may opt out of his player option for the 2027 season and look to cash in on the Free Agent market. And since he is likely viewed as a rental, combined with the fact that he is on a rehab assignment, it would cost Boston far fewer resources to acquire his services.
Kevin Gausman (Toronto Blue Jays)
Kevin Gausman may be the starting pitcher with the highest ceiling available as the trade deadline approaches. While he is amidst one of his worst seasons, leading the American League in losses with nine, his track record is what would entice teams like Boston searching for rotation depth.
For starters, he is an innings eater with 31+ starts over the last five full seasons and finished in the top ten in innings pitched for the American League in the last three seasons, per Baseball Savant. In addition, he led the American League in strikeouts during the 2023 season thanks to his devastating splitter-fastball combination.
Because he is in the last year of his contract, Gausman,35, would cost a fraction of what the Twins would expect for Joe Ryan, even for an in-division rival.
Michael Wacha (Kansas City Royals)
If Boston wants a reunion, they can call up the Kansas City Royals for All-Star pitcher Michael Wacha, who this season leads the American League in innings pitched and ranks in the top 15 starting pitchers in ERA and WHIP.
Now in his 14th season, Wacha won't overwhelm hitters with his velocity; instead, he relies on his top-tier changeup and low 7.1 walk rate. And as evidenced by his career 3.87 ERA, he has shown he is as reliable as it gets as a mid-tier starting pitcher.
Wacha, 35, is an intriguing option for Boston because of his playoff experience and would provide great insurance should additional injuries pile up to the team's top-of-the-rotation arms or younger arms in the back-end falter down the stretch.
Although Kansas City is at the bottom of the American League, with 2.5 years of team control, they are in no rush to trade Wacha. It would take a higher-tier prospect or an MLB-ready player for Boston to acquire his services.
Over the last month, Boston has flipped its season from being a playoff afterthought to the hottest team in baseball. And to ensure its recent streak isn't a fluke, the team needs to make a move to fortify its starting pitching. If Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow were to acquire any of these arms, he would transform the Red Sox from a good story to a serious threat in the American League as October rolls around.
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