Red Sox AL East Rival Reportedly ‘Doing Homework’ On Marcus Stroman

The Boston Red Sox have stayed afloat in the most competitive division in baseball this season. With the trade deadline approaching, multiple American League East teams will look to create separation and add to already bolstered rosters.

One of those teams is the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays began the season scorching hot. Since then, they have played around .500 ball for the last 60 games or so and entered Thursday tied for first place in the division with the Baltimore Orioles.

As a result, the Rays could look to make a move. On a recent episode of the “Onto Waveland” podcast, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma reported the Rays are “doing homework” on Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.

Tampa Bay would benefit from diving into the starting pitching market given the rotation has dealt with injuries to ace Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen this season. The addition of Stroman would give the Rays a legitimate postseason rotation, with Stroman joining McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin.

Stroman earned his second career All-Star appearance in the midst of a career year in 2023. The right-hander is 10-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts this season. Stroman is set to be arguably the most coveted arm available at the deadline for any contending team looking for a quality starter to move the needle.

If a Stroman deal goes through with Tampa Bay, it would be the 32-year-old’s second stint in the American League East after he spent the first six seasons of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays.

With so many teams still in contention, the Red Sox could see plenty of movement around the division over the next couple of weeks.