Red Sox Emerging As Landing Spot For Brewers All-Star?

Could the Boston Red Sox emerge as an unexpected trade partner with the Milwaukee Brewers?

The deadline is less than 48 hours away, and we’ll all know soon enough whether or not Milwaukee wants to shed one of its starting pitchers.

With a sturdy, five-man rotation already in place, many are wondering what the Brewers plan to do with former New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortés Jr., once Cortés re-joins the major league squad, that is. Cortés looked strong in his latest rehab start, and a return is expected in August.

Naturally, trade buzz has swirled around Cortés in recent weeks, with a Yankees reunion factoring heavily into the rumors. The Brewers have Freddy Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski, Brandon Woodruff, and Quinn Priester, and José Quintana locked into their rotation. Unless Milwaukee prefers to deal Quintana, Cortés might be in active trade discussions at this very moment. 

Another team to keep an eye on for Cortés is the Red Sox. Like their rival Yankees, the Red Sox don’t have amazing depth in their rotation outside of Garrett Crochet (it’s why Boston has been calling the Minnesota Twins about Joe Ryan).

Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, seems to prefer pitchers with multiple years of team control ahead of them, which would normally turn Breslow off to Cortés and his expiring deal. But depending on how the market shakes out between now and Thursday evening, a Cortés rental might be one of the best options that Breslow is faced with when it comes to raising the floor of his starting rotation. The competitive irony of adding a recent Yankee wouldn't be lost on Breslow, either.

If Cortés is back to full health, he’s a playoff-caliber starting pitcher. That’s also why the Brewers might simply end up keeping him and rolling with an extra starter to protect against injuries.