The Major League Baseball trade deadline is still three months away, but it’s nice to feel secure in the Boston Red Sox being buyers.
Unless something terrible happens, the Red Sox should be in the playoff hunt in late July when the deadline arrives. And after pushing their chips to the center in the offseason by acquiring Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman, there should be no questions about Boston’s willingness to add pieces.
It looks, at the moment, as though the Red Sox’s top need will be starting pitching. It’s something of a surprise, given the fact that Boston added three major league starters this winter, but they’ve dealt with a rash of injuries, and 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck has been ineffective.
With all that said, which starters could the Red Sox target at the deadline? It may be too early to know who will be shopped, but one writer’s recent “trade candidate” should be at the top of Boston’s list if he truly is available.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s David Schoenfield named Seattle Mariners All-Star pitcher Logan Gilbert as a possible trade candidate this season. Gilbert would immediately become the number-one target of every contending team if this were the case, including Boston.
“It’s hard to envision a scenario in which (Seattle’s) starting pitching doesn’t keep them around .500 — especially assuming they get George Kirby back — but they also lack overall pitching depth and have big-time hitting woes at home,” Schoenfield wrote.
“If they do collapse, Gilbert — who wasn’t signed to an extension like Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh were — would bring back a blockbuster return given he has two more years of team control and an impeccable record for health and durability (not to mention a brilliant start to 2025).”
Gilbert, 27, has developed into both an ace and a workhorse. He has 41 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings to begin the season after punching out 220 hitters and leading MLB in WHIP last year. He is under team control through 2027, so the cost to acquire him would be positively astronomical.
The Red Sox won’t face Gilbert over the next three days at Fenway Park, but they’ve got all the evidence they need that he’s an absolute rockstar. That’s not to say they should trade Roman Anthony or even Marcelo Mayer to get him, but they should be at the front of the line to contact Seattle if the Mariners plummet in the standings.
