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May 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove rests on the railing by the dugout prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Insider Raises Eyebrows About Red Sox's Pursuit Of Pitching

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Nov 5, 2025 11:01 AM ET

The offseason is just starting to pick up across Major League Baseball and it is already painfully obvious what the Boston Red Sox's biggest needs are. High-end pitching and some power in the lineup.

This is a topic that has been touched on over and over again across the league, and will continue until the Red Sox are able to actually start making moves and quieting the noise. Boston's time is coming. Free agency is going to officially begin this week and the club will have the chance to start getting to work, although it would be pretty surprising to see anything of real substance happen until the Winter Meetings in December.

Boston signed Aroldis Chapman in early December last year before the Winter Meetings and then really took off afterward. This year, the club has said everything right so far and the perception around the league right now is that Boston will have a chance to add. The Athletic's Jim Bowden noted that Boston is "focused" on adding starting pitching and raised some eyebrows by saying the club has the "financial freedom" to add a pitcher in free agency if they see fit, but that may not be the preferred route.

The Red Sox clearly want to add pitching

"The Red Sox are focused on adding starting pitching, and they have plenty of prospects in their strong farm system to perhaps trade for top arms like Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene, or Freddy Peralta," Bowden said. "They also have the financial freedom to land one of the top starters in free agency, though trading for a top-tier starter is their preferred route."

The fact that an insider and former general manager, like Bowden, is speaking of Boston in this way, is at least a positive sign for how the baseball world views Boston heading into this critical offseason.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said himself that the club will be looking for pitching to "move the needle." Boston has hinted at the idea of having the funds needed to go out and have another aggressive offseason. They certainly should after trading Rafael Devers away.

From Bowden's comment, it sounds like the Red Sox realistically could do whatever they want, either trading for a top arm, or signing one. One top fit is already off the board in Shane Bieber, who decided to pick up his option and stick around with the Toronto Blue Jays. Other top free agent options are Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Shota Imanaga, Brandon Woodruff, and Michael King among others.

Arguably, a trade would help more. Boston has a logjam of high-end prospects and although the return for someone like Skubal or Joe Ryan would be high, the actual contracts aren't as high as someone like Valdez or Cease will get in free agency.

Picture Garrett Crochet, for example. Boston gave up four prospects for him and then was able to ink him to a six-year, $170 million deal. Valdez, who didn't have nearly as good of a season as Crochet, is projected to get a six-year deal worth nearly $200 million by Spotrac. He's also 31 years old in comparison to Crochet being 26 years old.

Trading for a guy still makes the most sense, but it's good to know Boston has the resources to do either.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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