Red Sox 'likely' to trade starting pitching after Ranger Suarez signing

Matt Sullivan

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Red Sox 'likely' to trade starting pitching after Ranger Suarez signing image

This winter has been an odd one for the Boston Red Sox. While they've lost out on Alex Bregman on a huge $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, they've added a lot of talent.

Johan Oviedo, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and, most recently, Ranger Suarez make up the Red Sox moves this offseason. While the Red Sox would've liked to sign Bregman, Suarez's addition to the rotation opens up a few possibilities.

As Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic notes, the Red Sox now could turn to trades from their rotation depth. In fact, McCaffrey writes that a trade of such a player "seems likely."

Red Sox likely to trade from deep rotation

"With so many starters, will the Red Sox trade from their rotation to add to the lineup?" McCaffrey writes. "This seems likely."

With a 10-man deep starting rotation, the Red Sox have plenty of reason to trade away from their rotation this winter for upgrades elsewhere.

The most obvious area to improve is the infield, with the need for a new second or third baseman high after losing Bregman to the Cubs.

Marcelo Mayer gives the Red Sox some flexibility, allowing Boston's front office to go after either position, with Mayer filling in the other spot.

When it comes to trades from the starting rotation, there are a few players who are going nowhere. Garrett Crochet, Saurez, Oviedo, and Gray are almost certainly not going anywhere.

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Peton Tolle and Connelly Early will draw the most trade interest, while Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval will also likely see some interest, along with Brayan Bello and Kyle Harrison rounding out a very deep rotation.

Any of those six starters could be traded, and if the Red Sox could find a way to trade for an elite player, one of the younger prospects like Tolle or Early might be involved in a trade. Otherwise, one of the other starters might be more likely to be involved in talks.

While the specific player most likely to be dealt is unknown, the Red Sox, according to this report, are very likely to trade one of these starters this winter as they seek upgrades to their infield.

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