The Boston Red Sox are desperate to play in the postseason again, and there are no shortcuts to getting there.
After three years with no October baseball, the Red Sox seem to be gearing up for a spending spree. The buzz around Major League Baseball has suggested that Boston will pursue some of the big-name free agents, but so far, all they’ve done is sign Aroldis Chapman for $10.75 million.
While the Red Sox are rightfully pursuing superstar outfielder Juan Soto, their greatest need remains starting pitching. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello can all be quality big-league starters, but they need an ace in front of them to set the tone.
With only two true aces left on the free-agent market, urgency must be high in the suites at Fenway Park. Fortunately, one recent projection sees the Red Sox at the top of the heap for one of those top arms.
On Tuesday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report tabbed the Red Sox as thenumber-one prospective destination for Corbin Burnes, the four-time All-Star who pitched for the rival Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
“Boston is one of the few teams still allegedly in the mix for Juan Soto. And before Blake Snell went off the board to the Dodgers, there was talk of the Red Sox wanting to bring in not just one but two of the big three of Burnes, Snell and Max Fried,” Kelly said.
“It’s unlikely they’ll get Soto, but it does feel likely they’ll get Burnes or Fried. And if the Mets prioritize Fried—or simply don’t bid as much for Burnes as the Red Sox do—he could be relocating to Fenway Park.”
Burnes, 30, has been one of MLB’s most dominant pitchers of the last half-decade. He won a Cy Young in 2021 and has a 52-31 record, 2.88 ERA, and 946 strikeouts since the start of the 2020 season, spanning 134 starts.
Where things get interesting is the value of a potential Burnes contract. Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects him for a seven-year, $247 million deal, which would make him the highest-paid pitcher in Red Sox history. And so far, the rates have been exorbitant for the starting pitchers who have signed this winter.
The Red Sox cannot afford to be coy this offseason. They have to set the market and then exceed any counteroffers. If Burnes is the man they think can lead the rotation, and there’s every indication he can be, then they must do whatever it takes to get him to Boston.
