Burnes switched his representation to Boras after a couple years of feeling underpaid in arbitration. Chances are very good he wants to test the market and it would be EXTREMELY costly to convince him otherwise. He’s a tough target.
Bieber on the other hand has already said he’s open to an extension and isn’t likely to require the same outlay of prospects. But he had some physical issues last year that likely mean he is well aware this coming season is a big risk for him.
Not sure who else is on the trade market for pitching. Cease is still available but not so tempting (as far as we know) to Breslow. I can see reasons for and against Cease.
Cabrera seems to be perennially available from Miami. But he’s a walk machine who struggles to avoid getting demoted. On the other hand, he does have a live arm with tempting radar gun readings (which supposedly is something Breslow prefers). The Sox and Marlins do matchup somewhat given out outfield surplus. But I can see some red flags in Cabrera, too.
On the free agent front, Montgomery is solid, Imanaga is intriguing, and Giolito want as bad in 2023 as some stats indicate. (However he was worse in 2022 than he was in 2023. Is he declining?)