Starting pitching has been a priority for the Red Sox this winter, and the club has aggressively addressed that need through trades Garrett Crochet and sign at the same time Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval. Several other starters have been on Boston’s radar throughout the offseason, including some talks with the Pirates over a right-handed pitcher Jared Jones during the Winter Meetings, according to Alex Speyer of the Boston Globe.
It’s unclear how deep the negotiations are, or whether Boston’s interest goes beyond due diligence in case a Crochet deal doesn’t come to an agreement. Speyer gave an example of how teams are constantly pursuing multiple paths at once this offseason, with the Red Sox also showing interest in the Mariners. Luis Castillo Join Jones and Crochet as trade targets and talk to free agents like Buehler, Nathan Eovaldiand Nick Pivetta.
Despite adding to the rotation so far, it can be assumed that the Red Sox are still interested in acquiring Jones, as every team would like to have a controllable 23-year-old pitcher who performed well in his rookie season. Reports earlier this month indicated that Pittsburgh was open to at least listening to offers for Jones (somewhat surprisingly), though that was before the Buccaneers addressed rotation depth through moves. Luis Ortiz to the guardian Spencer Horwitz.
Heading into the winter, the Pirates were widely expected to make such a pitch-for-hit trade, given the team’s need on offense and the number of pitchers available. Even with Ortiz now in Cleveland, the Bucs still have Jones in their projected rotation, Paul Skenes, Mickey Keller, Belifaltand John Oviedoplus several highly touted prospects in the minors, who are knocking on the door of MLB debuts.
It remains to be seen whether the Pirates are willing to trade further away from the pitching staff, and in the case of Jones, Pittsburgh would certainly need to make a hefty offer to consider moving the right-hander. Since this is specifically relevant to the Red Sox, the Pirates would be justified in asking for any of the following: Jaren Duran, Triston Casasor at least one of Boston’s “Big Three” prospects (Roman Anthony, Marcelo Maier, Christine Campbell) in exchange for Jones.
Casas’ name has been mentioned in talks with the Mariners about Seattle’s young starter, while Anthony, Meyer and Campbell are considered virtually untouchable in trade discussions. Spear wrote that none of the minor league trio was ever offered to the White Sox for crochet, and “The White Sox understand the Red Sox won’t discuss “these players.” However, it should be noted that the Big Three were originally the Big Four, but Kyle Till The prospect who ended up being sent to Chicago headlined the Crochet trade package.
A swap of young talent between the Pirates and Red Sox shouldn’t be completely ruled out given how neatly this deal would serve both clubs’ dual needs. That being said, even though Skene might be the only completely untouchable Pirates pitcher in trade talks, it’s safe to assume that Pittsburgh will consider moving its other arms before looking to trade Jones. If the Buccaneers were to consider making a trade in the rotation, moving Keller and the $69.5MM remaining on his contract over the next four seasons would appear to be the top option for the always budget-conscious Bucs.
