Starting pitching is the primary objective for the Boston Red Sox this winter, but the X-factor is how much the team is willing to spend to acquire it.
Though the Boston starting rotation finished seventh in Major League Baseball in ERA in 2024, the entire group wore down at the same time–during the team’s awful August–and it’s imperative that the Red Sox grab another dependable arm or two to help them through the dog days this time around.
There are varying levels of aces to be had in free agency this winter, and the price tags generally correspond to the track records of the pitchers that possess them. If the Red Sox want a former Cy Young winner like Corbin Burnes, they’ll have to pony up $200 million plus, and that hasn’t been their style in recent winters.
Insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic doesn’t see the Red Sox spending nine figures on any individual pitcher, but he does believe they can sign a recent World Series Game 1 starter. He predicted that Boston would ink Los Angeles Dodgers star Jack Flaherty to a three-year, $68 million contract on Friday.
“The Red Sox sign righty Jack Flaherty to a three-year, $68 million deal and lefty Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $42 million deal,” Bowden said.
Flaherty, 29, had a resurgent season after signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. He was traded from Detroit to his hometown Dodgers at midseason and finished the regular season with a 13-7 record, 3.17 ERA, and 194 strikeouts in 28 starts.
In the postseason, Flaherty struggled, though he did have a productive start against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series. He started five games and threw 22 innings, allowing 18 earned runs for a 7.36 ERA.
Though he might not be a guaranteed number-one starter, there’s no doubt that if Flaherty can repeat his 2024 season in Boston, he’ll make the Red Sox a much better team. Competition for his services will be stiff, so we’ll soon see if the $68 million price tag remains accurate.