The Boston Red Sox have been searching for a left-handed pitcher to sit at the top of their rotation ever since the World Series came to a close.
Yusei Kikuchi landed with the Los Angeles Angels, Blake Snell landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Max Fried recently landed with the New York Yankees.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox got their guy.
In a blockbuster trade, the Red Sox agreed to send four prospects, Kyle Teel (No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline), Braden Montgomery (No. 5 prospect), Chase Meidroth (No. 11 prospect), and Wilkelman Gonzalez (No. 14 prospect), to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet.
Chicago is, and should be, very happy with the prospect haul they landed. Since the Red Sox have the top farm system in baseball, they could comfortably deal this massive prospect package to the Windy City.
Crochet will slot in atop the pitching rotation, right above All-Star Tanner Houck, but Boston shouldn't stop there. The next move for the Red Sox to make is quite obvious and it would add another star to the pitching rotation.
Boston has been in pursuit of a left-handed starter and now that it's landed Crochet, it can add a right-handed pitcher too. While Corbin Burnes would be a dream come true, the best available option for the price tag is former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty. Flaherty is projected to sign a contract worth $80 million, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Flaherty was high school teammates with Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito and the two have continued to share a good relationship to this day.
The righty is coming off a World Series ring, where he was a massive piece of the Dodgers' rotation. With Los Angeles adding Snell and returning Shohei Ohtani from Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers aren't likely to bring Flaherty back.
If Boston can land him for anywhere between $20 million to $25 million a year, they could form a three-headed monster of Crochet, Flaherty, and Houck at the top of the rotation.
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