The vast majority of Major League Baseball teams have not yet added a starting pitcher who could join their opening day rotation. The Boston Red Sox have added two.
On Thursday, the Red Sox acquired 6-foot-6 righty Johan Oviedo in a five-player trade that sent outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s the second trade they’ve made in as many weeks, as last Tuesday, they nabbed three-time All-Star Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals.
There’s huge upside with Oviedo, but there’s also a subplot brewing here: The Red Sox have a ridiculous amount of starting pitching depth now, and with how highly that commodity is valued in trades nowadays, they can pretty much acquire anyone around the league who becomes available.
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Red Sox tabbed to trade for Cole Ragans
On Friday, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted that the Red Sox would land a big fish — All-Star lefty Cole Ragans of the Kansas City Royals — in a trade before the end of the offseason.
“With club control through 2028, he is one of the most valuable trade chips on the market, and the Royals will only move him if it means bringing back a proven big league bat, ideally an outfielder,” Reuter wrote.
“The Red Sox have an abundance of outfielders and a clear need in the rotation, making them the obvious speculative trade partner.”
Boston is about 15 pitchers deep in major league starter options, but at some point, those options become redundant. It’s great to have the Hunter Dobbins’ and Kutter Crawfords of the world, but a true 1B to Garrett Crochet’s 1A is still what the front office should covet.
Ragans is that guy, and with Oviedo in tow for the next two years, some of the top pitching prospects likely became a bit more expendable on Thursday night. Does that mean Payton Tolle or Connelly Early could be shipped out in a deal for someone like Ragans? What about Luis Perales or Kyson Witherspoon?
All the wheeling and dealing would be immensely satisfying for Boston if it paid off in the acquisition of Ragans, who has true ace stuff and was virtually even with Crochet in last year’s preseason Cy Young Award odds.
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