Potential starting pitching targets for Red Sox this offseason

BOSTON -- The Red Sox have a lot to do this offseason. Once the franchise finds a new leader atop the baseball ops. department, that person should have one massive priority to fix the club: Starting pitching, starting pitching, and more starting pitching.

There are a lot of reasons the Red Sox fell flat in the second half of the season and finished in last place in the AL East for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years. But a real lack of starting pitching was the most glaring hole on the squad all season long.

Injuries destroyed Boston's depth in the rotation, but a lot of that could have (and likely should have) been foreseen heading into the season. The Red Sox were relying on Chris Sale and Corey Kluber to fill key roles in the rotation, a risk that nobody believed was worth taking except Chaim Bloom. While the team had some success with openers throughout the year, Alex Cora leaning on just three starters for a large chunk of the season eventually exhausted the bullpen and the wheels fell off in August and September. 

"To win championships, you have to pitch. That's the bottom line," manager Alex Cora said Monday. "We haven't been able to get to that point yet. I think the last time we had a healthy rotation was in '21."

Sale will be back, but the Red Sox shouldn't count him as anything more than a No. 3 starter at this point. (Even if Cora has visions of Sale starting on Opening Day.) Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and Nick Pivetta will also be returning in 2024, as will Kutter Crawford and starter/reliever Garrett Whitlock. 

But that isn't nearly enough rotational talent to get the Red Sox back in contention.

Bello was ace-like at times but struggled late in the season as he racked up 157 innings of work. He would greatly benefit from having at least one other arm in front of him in the rotation. 

Ideally, the Red Sox would add at least two starters this offseason. Bello and Sale would get pushed further into the rotation and have less pressure, while Houck, Pivetta, and Crawford could duke it out for the No. 5 spot. And let's stop messing with Whitlock and just keep him in the bullpen; he's far more valuable as reliever.

Teams are always looking for starting pitching, so the Red Sox will have plenty of competition this winter. But Boston has money to spend and prospects to deal in order to fix its starting five -- now they just need someone in place to pull off all these moves when the offseason frenzy begins.

Free Agents

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Boston has been connected to the Japanese superstar throughout the season, and should be right in the mix when he gets posted by the Orrix Buffaloes. The Sox have been scouting the 25-year-old righty and they already employ a former teammate of his in Masataka Yoshida. 

Yamamoto has been electric throughout his seven professional seasons with a career ERA of just 1.73. He was 15-6 with a 1.21 ERA over 23 starts for the Buffaloes in 2023.

It'll cost the Red Sox a pretty penny and then some, but landing Yamamoto would be a huge game-changer in the Boston rotation. 

Jordan Montgomery

The price tag is just going to go up if Montgomery pitches well for the Rangers this postseason. On Tuesday, the lefty held the Rays to just six hits while striking out five over six shutout innings in a Game 1 victory for Texas.

Montgomery, 30, was traded from the Yankees to the Cardinals in 2022 and then was acquired by Texas at the deadline to bolster the Rangers rotation. He was 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA during the regular season, tossing 188.2 innings over 32 starts. The southpaw is both consistent and durable, making at least 30 starts in each of the last three seasons.

Aaron Nola

Nola is another extremely consistent and reliable arm on the market this winter. The 30-year-old righty is coming off a 12-9 seasons with a 4.46 ERA over 32 starts. He's made 32 starts in each of the last three seasons and owns a 90-71 record and 3.38 ERA over his nine-year career.

Ideally, someone like Nola would be the second starter the Red Sox add to their rotation this winter. 

Blake Snell

Snell led all eligible starters with a 2.25 ERA over 32 starts and 180 innings for the Padres this season, but he also led all of baseball with 99 walks.

Marcus Stroman

The 32-year-old righty made his second All-Star team in 2023 and finished the season 10-9 with a 3.35 ERA for the Cubs. 

Sonny Gray

Another guy that could see his price tag go up with some postseason success, Gray went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA for the Twins in the regular season. The three-time All-Star is 98-85 with a 3.47 ERA over his 11-year career.

The only real concern with Gray is his age. He'll turn 34 in November and will likely be looking for a contract that will bring him to the end of his career. 

Shohei Ohtani

We're listing him because all Boston fans want to see the unicorn come to town. But Ohtani won't be pitching next season, so he wouldn't help the Boston rotation in 2024. We still wouldn't say no to giving him a massive contract. 

Trade Targets?

Dylan Cease

The White Sox would ask a lot in return for the 27-year-old righty, who still has two more years of team control, but Cease would be worth the price tag.

While he struggled in 2023, going just 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.418 WHIP, Cease is a year removed from being second in AL Cy Young voting. In 2022, he was 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.109 WHIP, setting new career marks in both categories. He's also durable, starting 97 games and tossing 526.2 innings over the last three seasons. 

Corbin Burnes 

The 28-year-old righty has been an All-Star in each of the last three seasons, going 33-21 with a 2.94 ERA and 0.994 WHIP for the Brewers over that span. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 2021 when he led the national league with a 2.43 ERA.

Burnes will be a free agent after next season.

Brandon Woodruff

Another righty the Red Sox could potentially pry away from the Brewers, a shoulder strain limited Woodruff to just 11 games in 2023. He was placed on the IL in April, but was lights out once he returned in August. Over nine starts in August and September, Woodruff held opposing hitters to a .170 average while striking out 62 over 55.2 innings.

For his seven-year career, Woodruff is 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.045 WHIP. Like Burns, Woodruff will be a free agent after the 2024 season.