Article: Red Sox Rumors: Starting Pitching Market Offers Plenty of Paths Forward

[Alex Mayes]

President of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow has doubled down time and time again on the notion that, in the wake of the Rafael Devers trade, the Red Sox will be buyers at the trade deadline. While we discussed this on Episode 15 of The Talk Sox Podcast, the broader fanbase is fairly split on what the team should actually be doing as we begin July. The Sox have shown flashes of brilliance by having masterclasses hurled by starters Garrett Crochet, but then have had to watch Walker Buehler go out and walk anyone who steps up to the plate. They’ll erupt for 10 or more runs in multiple games over a week, then barely be able to put hits on the board in back-to-back games. It’s really hard to decide which lane the team is picking from the outside looking in. What isn’t up for debate, though, is that the Red Sox need more starting pitching.

So, with that preamble out of the way, let's take a look at some of the wares other teams will have on the starting pitcher market.

• Edward Cabrera, RHP

Cabrera wasn’t the starting pitcher from the Marlins that everyone was interested in when trade talks began, but he’s quietly having an excellent season. He’s appeared in 14 games with a 3.41 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and a 1.28 WHIP. He’s an off-speed first pitcher, so he would play well in Andrew Bailey’s pitching lab. His changeup works more like a power changeup, clocking in at 93.8 mph on average. He’s arbitration eligible in 2026 and isn’t a free agent until 2029, so he comes with a lot of control and would help anchor the middle of the rotation behind Crochet. The Marlins won’t trade him away for pennies on the dollar, so a package built around productive major league players with some MLB-ready prospects will likely be the starting point here.

• Nick Lodolo, LHP

Lodolo, aside from being incredibly fun to say, has been a bright spot in the Reds’ starting rotation this season. He reminds me a lot of a left-handed Lucas Giolito, and their pitch mix is fairly similar as well. Lodolo currently has a 3.52 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 94.2 innings pitched. The Reds are still somewhat sniffing around the Wild Card race, but they are the third best team in their division at best and the National League is absolutely loaded with talent, so they likely won’t be pushing for a playoff spot this year. That could cause them to listen to offers on their rotation pieces not named Chase Burns and Hunter Greene. Lodolo is cheap and won’t reach free agency until 2028. Much like Cabrera above, it’s going to cost a lot to trade for him, but if the Red Sox are truly in buyer mode, a controllable left-handed pitcher to slot into the third rotation spot is worth the upfront cost.

• Mick Abel, RHP

Maybe this is a pipe dream, but I truly believe the Red Sox have the capital to pull off a trade for the 2020 first-rounder. Abel has the makings of an absolute stud pitcher and would pair nicely with Garrett Crochet atop of the rotation. It would give the Red Sox arguably the best one-two punch in the American League this season. Abel currently has a 2-1 record with a 3.47 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings pitched. He’s going to be expensive, no doubt about it. The flip side here is that the Red Sox and the Phillies match up incredibly well at the moment. The Phillies need an upgrade in the outfield and the Red Sox have plenty of outfielders to pick from. Add to that the fact that Dave Dombrowski is running the show in the City of Brotherly Love, and you’ve got a path to a deal for Abel with the Red Sox likely having to flip a household name, or two, for the young pitcher. It’s a price worth paying though, especially if Breslow and the front office believe that Abel can reach his ceiling of a number one starter who would just happen to be second in the rotation for as long as Crochet is suiting up in Boston.

• Jared Jones, RHP

I know, he’s injured, and so you think the Sox shouldn't give up any assets for him right now. Well, here he is anyway. Jones is the type of pitcher you’d trade for and let rehab because he’s just that good. His 2025 is completely lost due to an internal bracing procedure on his pitching elbow. Sound familiar? So, the Red Sox already understand how to best rehab him from a procedure that they are incredibly familiar with. No one actually expects the Pirates to pay Paul Skenes, but we absolutely don’t expect them to pay both Skenes AND Jones. That’s just not going to happen. Buying ‘low’ on Jones while he’s injured would give the Red Sox a starter that won’t reach free agency until 2030, and they should be able to lock him into an extension well before he gets to that point.

• Zac Gallen, RHP

The Arizona Diamondbacks hoped to be much better than they currently are in 2025. They are hovering around .500 and are in a division with two juggernauts in the Dodgers and Padres, plus the Giants are no slouch either. They’ve already lost their frontline starter with Corbin Burnes undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Zac Gallen signed a one-year contract with Arizona for $13.5M before the 2025 season began and will be an unrestricted free agent. He’s been just okay this season, currently sitting with a 5.45 ERA over 18 games with 98 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP. He’s not a splashy addition, but is lightyears better than what Buehler has given the team. Plus, his track record — three top-10 Cy Young finishes — makes him an intriguing buy-low candidate if the Sox want to engage him in contract talks come free agency.

• Sandy Alcantara, RHP

The falloff of Alcantara is something that needs to be studied. We’re nearly three seasons removed from his Cy Young award in 2022, with a lot of that lost time attributable to a Tommy John surgery that kept him sidelined for all of 2024. He’s currently sitting on a 6.98 ERA with 63 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP over 80 innings pitched. Had I made this at the beginning of the year, he would have been solidly the best option available, but he’s wildly under performed so far in 2025. His sinker and four-seam fastball are both still elite offerings and are clocking in over 97mph on average, but he’s having a lot of trouble getting outs and limiting runs.

His barrel percent is the highest it’s been in his career at 9.7%. Could it be that he knows that he’s not long for Miami and is struggling with that? It’s possible, but his downward slide this year needs to be looked at before any deal is made to acquire him. He’s in the fourth year of a five-year/$56M extension with Miami so he’s under control through the 2026 season. The return for Alcantara is likely much lighter than it was during the offseason, so he could be worth a flier to see if Bailey and company can right the ship.

• Zach Eflin, RHP

Another currently injured pitcher, Eflin is familiar with the AL East and should be able to contribute when he’s healthy again. Much like the teams listed above, the Orioles aren’t going to be sniffing around the playoffs this season and Eflin is on an expiring contract. He’s thrown 62 innings so far in 2025 to a tune of a 5.95 ERA and 42 strikeouts. He’s not going to light the world on fire, but if the Red Sox are sellers or straddling the buy/sell line as best they can, he’s a fringe addition that bolsters the back-end of the rotation. He likely wouldn’t be expensive, but there’s the question on if the O’s would want to trade within the division. Eflin could be interesting as a last-minute deal if the Sox do deal Walker Buehler to a team that’s willing to take a gamble there.

• Michael Soroka, RHP

The Washington Nationals are a team that seem to be finding their footing, thanks in large part to the young core anchored by MacKenzie Gore and James Wood. Soroka has been in the league since 2018 and has been a fairly steady middle/back-end rotation piece for each team he’s played for. In 2025, he’s sitting on a 4.70 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched with 64 strikeouts. He’s not a flamethrower but you can survive as a location specialist with the type of pitch mix that he has. Like the others on this lower part of the list, he makes a lot of sense as an improvement over Walker Buehler and would likely push Richard Fitts for that No. 4 rotation spot should the Red Sox acquire him. He’s on a one-year, $9M deal, and the Nationals likely wouldn’t be looking for a ton in return for him.

 

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There are a ton of other names that make sense for the Red Sox, but a lot of them are playing for teams that are fairly firmly entrenched in the playoff race in their respective divisions. It may be possible to get a team to overpay with a starter who is currently on a playoff-bound team if a bidding war erupts for someone on the Red Sox’s roster, but most of those names will be brought back up again this offseason as they enter free agency.

What do you think? Should the Red Sox swing big on the starting pitching market to help propel them to a playoff spot, or should they look to make fringe additions to keep them afloat in 2025 and be big spenders after the season concludes? Let us know in the comments!

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[Nick]

Do you see higher ceiling for Mick Abel than say Dobbins? Is his stuff much better? How so? 

[harmony]

1 hour ago, Nick said:

Do you see higher ceiling for Mick Abel than say Dobbins? Is his stuff much better? How so? 

The provided stats are outdated on Mick Abel, who has surrendered nine earned runs over his last 4.2 innings to raise his season ERA to 5.04 (with a FIP of 6.25 and a negative 0.3 fWAR)).

Abel's MLB debut comes on the heels of four somewhat disappointing minor league seasons.

The left-hander has a ways to go before becoming part of the "best one-two punch in the American League."

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 hour ago, harmony said:

The provided stats are outdated on Mick Abel, who has surrendered nine earned runs over his last 4.2 innings to raise his season ERA to 5.04 (with a FIP of 6.25 and a negative 0.3 fWAR)).

Abel's MLB debut comes on the heels of four somewhat disappointing minor league seasons.

The left-hander has a ways to go before becoming part of the "best one-two punch in the American League."

What you're saying is we already have Kyle Harrison.

[Nick]

1 hour ago, harmony said:

The provided stats are outdated on Mick Abel, who has surrendered nine earned runs over his last 4.2 innings to raise his season ERA to 5.04 (with a FIP of 6.25 and a negative 0.3 fWAR)).

Abel's MLB debut comes on the heels of four somewhat disappointing minor league seasons.

The left-hander has a ways to go before becoming part of the "best one-two punch in the American League."

The left-hander has a ways to go before becoming part of the "best one-two punch in the American League."

This acquisition seems to be for the future and not for helping out Sox 2nd half of this season, what we actually need.

[Nick]

I hope to see Peyton Tolle called up in September.

A fast riser, 49+ innings , 79 K's, 1.17 whip at Greenville,  9 innings at Portland, 17 K's, 0.56 whip.

[Maxbialystock]

A terrific laydown in the OP. 

Lots of names and long paragraphs on each--in which the expected costs of trades are explored.

You definitely did your homework.  

 

[Dibble]

Seeing the effect of Tanner Houck. What a disappointment.  Instead of having 3 strong starters, now may have to trade for one.  I guess what we saw from him early last season was a fluke.

[Hugh2]

28 minutes ago, Nick said:

I hope to see Peyton Tolle called up in September.

A fast riser, 49+ innings , 79 K's, 1.17 whip at Greenville,  9 innings at Portland, 17 K's, 0.56 whip.

I 100% do not want to see him in September, his secondaries still need a ton of work.  They've made improvements this year but if he's going to reach his ceiling as a starter he needs more development. 

His fastball is elite, and can get guys out right now at the MLB level, but if they bring him up now he's a reliever that's it. 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

On 7/4/2025 at 2:35 PM, Larry Cook said:

I really like the idea of trading for severino!!  I do think we need a hard pass on springs!!!

if I am Oakland, I would ask for abreau 

 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

On 7/4/2025 at 2:35 PM, Larry Cook said:

I really like the idea of trading for severino!!  I do think we need a hard pass on springs!!!

if I am Oakland, I would ask for abreau 

 

[Hitch]

I'd love us to be able to get Jared Jones. I think them selling him cheap is a fantasy though. They're not challenging, what stress have they got forcing them to move him right now?

[tawest]

23 hours ago, Nick said:

Do you see higher ceiling for Mick Abel than say Dobbins? Is his stuff much better? How so? 

Watching Abel the other day he seemed overwhelmed. Might have been an anomaly, but it wasn't very encouraging.

 From what I've seen, Dobbins has pitched pretty well. Thought the same of Fitts last year but his year so far hasn't panned out like I had hoped.

It's crazy how many starting pitchers are on the shelf right now. And with the bullpen the Sox have you really want the starters to go as deep every game they can. Roll the dice every game if you are going to the bullpen early. You can usually expect walks and batting practice with a couple of relievers they send to the bump.

[Larry Cook]

On 7/5/2025 at 12:07 PM, Nick said:

I hope to see Peyton Tolle called up in September.

A fast riser, 49+ innings , 79 K's, 1.17 whip at Greenville,  9 innings at Portland, 17 K's, 0.56 whip.

I do not think he will be ready by this September. Secondaries need work still!!!

but do not get me wrong, he will be in Boston in 2026 if he stays healthy!!!