Red Sox Rumors: Boston Prefers These Starters In Free Agency

The Red Sox reportedly have their eyes on a starting pitcher whom they saw plenty in recent years.

Boston entered the Major League Baseball offseason with a handful of needs, with starting pitching arguably the most pressing. And fortunately for the Red Sox, a good chunk of the top free agents this winter are starters.

Thus, the onus now is on Craig Breslow and company to survey that market and decide which pitcher(s) best fits the club's bill. And on a recent episode of the "ITM Podcast," MLB.com's Ian Browne shed light on who might be piquing the Red Sox front office's interest the most.

"I'd say (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto or (Jordan) Montgomery," Browne told host Steve Perrault. "From what I've heard, they like Montgomery more than these other -- they like him more than they like (Blake) Snell. They like him more than they like (Aaron) Nola. I think they just feel like he's (Montgomery) the guy they're really targeting. He might be a little more undervalued, although he did obviously boost his value in the playoffs. Kind of like Derek Lowe-2004 style, right?"

Boston is among the favorites on the next-team odds boards for both Yamamoto and Montgomery. The veteran southpaw obviously is the more proven commodity in the big leagues, and he's coming off a career season in which he shined across the Texas Rangers' World Series title run. Montgomery also has experience pitching in the American League East, as he spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with the New York Yankees.

But whether it's a Montgomery addition or another move, the Red Sox must address their rotation this offseason if they want to regain playoff contender status.