The Red Sox are still looking at pitching alternatives in the offseason, but they aren’t going after the big-name starters that many had thought they might.
Jakob Junis and Ryne Stanek are two free agent relief pitchers that Boston is interested in adding to its bullpen, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
The Red Sox are unwilling to pursue long-term contracts with Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell, according to a report earlier on Saturday from Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
Due to his stay in the city while his wife finishes her residency, Montgomery and Boston have been associated since the offseason. The parties appeared to be interested in each other, and Speier’s report mentions that some in the business think the Red Sox are the greatest fit for Montgomery. But, it doesn’t seem realistic that the organization will reach an agreement.
Regarding Stanek and Junis, each has served as a dependable bullpen arm for their respective clubs. In 2023, Junis appeared in 40 mound appearances for the San Francisco Giants, making four starts, and he finished with an ERA of 3.87. In 55 games with the Houston Astros, Stanek has a 4.09 ERA.
It may become necessary to look for more relief arms in light of recent suggestions that Boston may make Kenley Jansen available in trade negotiations.
Nonetheless, a lot of MLB fans and observers thought the Red Sox would go for elite starters in order to bolster their pitching. And that hasn’t been the case thus far. Apart from Lucas Giolito, Boston has not added any more starters. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was among the other notable free agents they swung and missed.
There aren’t many choices left for the Red Sox to improve their starting rotation without Montgomery and Snell.