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Red Sox Trade Idea Lands Former Yankees 2.05 ERA Starter

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 3:15 PM ET

Behind Garrett Crochet, the Boston Red Sox rotation has performed poorly. Besides Brayan Belllo, who owns a 3.94 ERA, all other Red Sox starters own ERAs well above 4.00.

A large part of their problem stems from their first-inning woes. In addressing this problem, sports writer Jonathan Vankin of Newsweek has proposed a unique solution that might quell this issue.

“The Red Sox have plenty of issues to analyze, but one in particular has been perhaps the most glaring: starting pitching. More specifically, starting pitching in the first inning. With a first-inning ERA of 7.12, second only to the 12-53 Colorado Rockies for worst in MLB (8.58), Boston pitchers have repeatedly put their team in an immediate hole and forced the Red Sox hitters to play from behind in game after game.

“What can the Red Sox do to solve this problem? One answer would be to acquire a pitcher who does not give up runs in the first inning. And there is one possible trade the Red Sox could make that would accomplish that goal, while costing Boston almost nothing … In 13 starts, [J.P.] Sears has yet to be touched for a first-inning run, earned or not. In fact, Sears has allowed just six hits, none for extra bases, and two walks while striking out 13 in the first innings of games.”

J.P. Sears owns a 5.21 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 67.1 innings on the season, raising his career ERA to 4.48. A change of scenery could benefit Sears, who pitched to a 2.05 ERA with the New York Yankees before being traded. The 29-year-old southpaw does much better on the road than at home. Last season, his road ERA stood at 3.67 while pitching to a 5.29 at home.

To Vankin’s point, Sears wouldn’t cost much in terms of a trade package or money; he is owed $770,000 this year before entering arbitration next season. Adding him to an already fractured Red Sox rotation doesn’t seem like the cure-all that would flip Boston’s sub-.500 record, but according to Vankin, it just might work.

“For the Red Sox offense, whose 330 runs are fourth-most in MLB, a pitcher who can give them a chance to score first by blanking the opposition out of the gate obviously gives them a much better chance to win. A 2020 Society for American Baseball Research study of 73 previous seasons found that teams that lead after the first inning win about 70 percent of all games.”

Sears will be under club control through 2029. If he can begin to thrive away from Northern California, trading for Sears would be a steal.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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