If the Red Sox want to bolster their starting pitching this offseason, their avenues for improvement aren't limited to Major League Baseball free agency.
Boston also could pursue a trade for a starter if it felt so inclined. It wouldn't be an uncommon practice for the Red Sox, who acquired Chris Sale in a blockbuster deal months before the start of the 2017 season. Boston's brass also has expressed an expectation for the front office to "attack" the offseason, so Chaim Bloom and company probably are leaving no stone unturned as the club tries to bounce back from its disappointing 2022 campaign.
With this in mind, here are four starters who the Red Sox potentially could target in an offseason trade.
Jordan Montgomery, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals
This would mark the second relocation in less than a calendar year for Montgomery, who the Yankees dealt to the Cardinals before the MLB trade deadline. The left-hander was solid in the second half for St. Louis, posting a 6-3 record with a 3.11 ERA across 11 starts. Montgomery, who spent the first five-plus seasons of his big league career in New York, is about to enter his final year of arbitration and is ticked to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2023 season. Given the lack of term on the 29-year-old's deal, the Red Sox might be able to buy low on a pitcher who just a few months ago was swapped for one of the better center fielders in the big leagues.
Blake Snell, LHP, San Diego Padres
Snell is entering the final season of a five-year, $50 million contract, and while San Diego probably doesn't want to move the 2018 American League Cy Young winner, its financial situation could force the organization's hand. The Padres are well over the luxury-tax threshold and their outlook for 2023 isn't much better. Moving off Snell, who's owed $16 million this season, could help tighten up the books. The southpaw's familiarity with the American League East also might appeal to Boston. Snell, a 2011 first-round pick by Tampa Bay, pitched the first five MLB seasons of his career with the Rays and helped lead the team to the 2020 World Series.
Julio Urias, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Now probably isn't the most opportune time to swing a deal for Urias, a finalist for the 2022 National League Cy Young Award. That said, the 26-year-old is about to enter his final year of arbitration and he soon might be an odd man out in Los Angeles. Clayton Kershaw just re-signed with the Dodgers, Walker Buehler will be back -- maybe better than ever -- in 2024, Dustin May has a very high ceiling and LA reportedly is a "realistic" landing spot for Justin Verlander. Not to mention, the Dodgers could be a major player in the free-agent shortstop market this offseason.
All told, it wouldn't hurt the Red Sox to give one of their more recent trade partners a call.
Shane Bieber, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
We're admittedly aiming very, very high here, but it's a possibility that can't be completely ruled out. ESPN's Jeff Passan shortly before this year's trade deadline reported Bieber "could be had" in a deal. The Guardians, who reportedly had an "exorbitant" price tag" on Bieber, probably would listen to calls again this winter. It's just how the franchise operates.
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner has two years of arbitration left and seemingly is about to enter his prime, so the Red Sox probably would have to go all-out in this hypothetical deal. Putting a dent in a recently replenished farm system probably isn't something Boston's front office is keen on doing, but who knows, crazier things have happened.
