Six pitchers Red Sox could target on trade market

The Boston Red Sox should prioritize bolstering their pitching staff this offseason. They can do that by spending big in free agency, but they may have some intriguing options if they prefer to acquire arms via trade.

Between their surplus of slugging outfielders and their talented farm system, the Red Sox have the assets to swing a blockbuster deal for an ace. But which pitchers are expected to be available on the trade market? Also, which teams appear to be compatible trade partners?

Here are six starting pitchers Boston should consider trading for this winter. . .

Garrett Crochet, LHP, Chicago White Sox

Crochet is this offseason's No. 1 trade target and it isn't difficult to see why. The All-Star southpaw posted a 3.58 ERA (2.69 FIP) with 209 strikeouts and only 33 walks over 32 starts with the lowly Chicago White Sox last season. He's only 25 years old and would immediately slot in as the bona fide ace for most starting rotations.

Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox have already been rumored to be among the teams in the mix to acquire Crochet. It'll take a decent-sized haul to pry him from Chicago, but Boston has the pieces to make a deal happen. White Sox general manager Chris Getz made it clear he's looking for position players in any trade, and the Red Sox have them in abundance.

The Red Sox would almost certainly have to include a top prospect or two- such as shortstop Marcelo Mayer or second baseman Kristian Campbell- to land Crochet. It wouldn't be the first time they parted ways with a prized infield prospect for a left-handed White Sox ace.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins

This one carries some risk. Alcantara didn't play in 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But if the Red Sox believe he still has his 2022 Cy Young stuff, they should be ringing the Marlins' phones off the hook.

Alcantara, 29, is under team control through 2026. Given that Miami isn't expected to contend any time soon, he should be available on the trade market this winter for teams willing to part ways with young talent.

He'll be costly, though it shouldn't take a Crochet-like haul to acquire him. Before undergoing Tommy John, he posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 28 starts in 2023. Perhaps that will make the price tag low enough that the Red Sox wouldn't have to part ways with one of their prized top-four prospects (Mayer, Campbell, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel) to get him.

Jesus Luzardo, LHP, Miami Marlins

Luzardo is injury-plagued Marlins starter with a boatload of talent. After strong 2022 and 2023 seasons with Miami, Luzardo posted a 5.00 ERA and only managed to make 12 starts in 2024. That makes the 27-year-old a potential buy-low candidate this winter.

A deal for Luzardo likely wouldn't require one of the Red Sox' top prospects in return. While there's no guarantee he'd regain ace form in Boston, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. should consider taking a chance on a young southpaw with filthy swing-and-miss stuff.

Jared Jones, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates need young sluggers perhaps even more than the Red Sox need pitching. So as promising as Jared Jones was in his rookie season with Pittsburgh, he could be on the trade block this winter.

Pittsburgh already has a stellar 1-2 punch in the rotation with Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller. That makes Jones expendable if clubs are willing to give up talented hitters to get him. The Red Sox have plenty of those, including outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.

Jones posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 132 strikeouts and 39 walks over 22 starts for the Pirates last season. The 23-year-old has a bright future, and it may behoove Breslow and the Red Sox front office to ensure that future is at Fenway Park.

Jordan Montgomery, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Below, you'll notice that we used a highlight from Montgomery's 2023 World Series season with the Texas Rangers. That's because his 2024 campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks was an utter disaster.

Montgomery signed with Arizona on March 29, just before Opening Day. The 31-year-old, who was expected to be among the most coveted arms in free agency after a strong season with the Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, didn't have a normal spring training. That appeared to throw his entire year off as he had a 6.23 ERA in 25 games, making him arguably the worst starting pitcher of the 2024 season.

D'backs owner Ken Kendrick didn't mince words about what he called a "horrible" signing.

"If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you're talking to the guy that should be blamed," Kendrick said. "Because I brought it to [the front office's] attention. I pushed for it. They agreed to it -- it wasn't in our game plan

" You know when he was signed -- right at the end of spring training. And looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did. It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I'm the perpetrator of that."

Nonetheless, Montgomery exercised his player option with Arizona for the 2025 season. The D'backs could still look to trade him though, and the Red Sox seem like the perfect match. Montgomery was linked to Boston throughout free agency last offseason. He wouldn't be the "ace" Sox fans are hoping for, but he's a bounce-back candidate heading into he 2025 campaign.

Jameson Taillon, RHP, Chicago Cubs

The Red Sox reportedly showed interest in Taillon at this year's trade deadline. The soon-to-be 33-year-old still makes sense for Boston coming off an impressive 2024 season in which he posted a 3.27 ERA across 28 outings.

While Taillon isn't a true No. 1 starter, he's a workhorse. He has made at least 28 starts in five of his last six seasons (he didn't play during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign). Plus, he's used to pitching in big markets as he has most recently spent time with the Cubs and New York Yankees. And although he's under team control through 2026, he still likely wouldn't cost as much as the other names on this list.