The Boston Red Sox came up short in the playoffs this year, losing to their rivals, the New York Yankees, in the Wild Card series. They had the series lead, but the lack of starting pitching power is what cost them.
Red Sox color commentator Lou Merloni offered solutions to their pitching problems on X, saying the team needs to trade for a star and sign another before they even look at upgrading the lineup.
“Sox trade for Ryan/Sandy and sign Bieber. I'm in. Now that we figured that out let's move onto the lineup,” Merloni posted.
Merloni is referring to Joe Ryan or Sandy Alcantara as trade targets, and Shane Bieber as a free agent.
For either Ryan or Alcantara, Ryan is probably the safer choice. He’s younger and showed signs of being an ace-level pitcher. He would fit in nicely behind Garrett Crochet, creating a 1-2 punch. As for Bieber, he would be an amazing upgrade for the end of the rotation. He provides veteran experience for a young rotation.
This would make the rotation in order: Crochet, Ryan, Brayan Bello, Bieber, and ending with Connelly Early. This prospective rotation could be one of the most feared in baseball, and with the Sox’ current offensive levels, they could win the division.
Hopefully, the Sox can make this happen, and still sign a big power bat like Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber, along with re-signing Alex Bregman. If they do that, there’s not a team in the American League that can stop them from just walking right into the World Series.
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