Getty If the Red Sox miss out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, how else could they make a big splash this winter?
This offseason was supposed to be different for the Boston Red Sox. The results haven’t been what was promised so far. However, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around.
Finishing last in the AL East three times over the past four years has brought some change in Beantown. The biggest was having Craig Breslow replace Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier also relayed Red Sox chairman Tom Werner’s comments on November 2, saying the organization would go “full throttle” this winter to improve the roster.
This included allowing Breslow to pursue rotation upgrades he felt were necessary.
Tom Werner described the Red Sox as “full throttle” this offseason, and suggested Breslow can pursue rotation upgrades in ways he sees fit.
This promise hasn’t been delivered just yet, but many players are still available on the open market. That particularly applies to starting pitchers, and mostly because Yoshinobu Yamamoto remains a free agent.
Latest on Boston’s Pursuit of Yamamoto
According to a December 18 report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Yamamoto sweepstakes were about to hit another level. Official offers are expected to be flowing in from interested teams. There are seven organizations still in the running for the right-handed hurler’s services. This includes the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays.
However, the true finalists appear to be a smaller group of teams. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi said the Yankees appear to be the frontrunner, with the Dodgers and Mets also being legitimate contenders. The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly also reported the Giants were promised to be given “every consideration” before Yamamoto makes a decision.
Boston’s chances of being a serious threat to land Yamamoto have taken a perceived hit in recent days, too. When the hurler flew to the East Coast, they held second meetings with the Mets and Yankees. They could’ve easily also scheduled a meeting with the Red Sox in Boston, but that didn’t happen, according to a December 19 report from Speier.
It doesn’t mean they’re out of the running. Based on what’s happened in recent days, though, Yamamoto’s preferences might be elsewhere.
What Rotation Options Are Left for the Red Sox?
Yamamoto isn’t the only elite starting pitcher left on the open market. He’s just the one holding up a lot of activity for available hurlers right now.
As noted by Jen McCaffrey and Chad Jennings of The Athletic, the following starting pitchers are still available: Blake Snell, Shōta Imanaga, Jordan Montgomery and Lucas Giolito. All of them would be a cheaper than Yamamoto. However, it doesn’t mean they still wouldn’t cost a pretty penny. Here are the contract predictions MLB Trade Rumors shared for these four at the outset of free agency on November 6:
- Snell: seven years, $200 million
- Imanaga: five years, $85 million
- Montgomery: six years, $150 million
- Giolito: two years, $44 million
If the Red Sox do lose out on Yamamoto, it would surely be a disappointment. But then again, it’s not like there still aren’t plenty of options available in free agency to help them climb out of the AL East basement in 2024.