The Boston Red Sox have already been active in the pitching market this offseason, but could they make another move?
With the offseason in a bit of a lull, there’s not much happening at the moment. Plenty of free agents are still searching for new teams, and the reliever market has started to gain momentum with recent signings like Carlos Estévez and Tommy Kahnle.
League-wide activity has been relatively slow, which naturally sparks speculation about potential moves. One team to keep an eye on is the San Diego Padres, as there have been rumors that they might consider trading starting pitcher Michael King. After posting a 2.95 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts) last season, King is set to become a free agent at the end of the year, making a trade plausible.
Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report recently ranked the top 10 potential landing spots for King and placed Boston at No. 9.
“The Red Sox have already added two starters in (Garrett Crochet) and (Walker Buehler), both of whom have ace potential,” Rymer noted. “They were previously linked to Dylan Cease in December, though that was before acquiring Crochet. While Boston has an excess of young hitting talent, the ideal trade target would be a young, controllable impact pitcher—something King is not.”
Although the Red Sox have the prospect capital to make a deal, a trade for King seems highly unlikely. With two high-caliber additions already in place and Patrick Sandoval returning from injury, Boston has more than enough starting pitching depth. Instead, their focus should be on improving their offense rather than adding another arm.
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