Just like every other team in the majors, the Boston Red Sox are in the market for starting pitchers this offseason. They have a good top-of-the-rotation with Garrett Crochet and Bryan Bello.
After that, there are questions as to who will fill in the rest of the rotation. They have young arms: Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, and Connelly Early. How many from that group will be ready to fill in the back end of the rotation in 2026? In between, they need to make some additions, whether it’s through free agency or a trade.
Boston was linked to Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline. They could kick the tires on him again this offseason. In free agency, could they make a move for a former New York Yankees right-hander?
Red Sox Linked to Free Agent Michael King
The Yankees traded Michael King to the San Diego Padres as part of the deal that brought Juan Soto to the Bronx during the 2023-24 offseason. In 2024, he was a key piece to the rotation before injuries to his shoulder and knee limited him in 2025 to just 15 starts. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports believes that if King is healthy, he would be a good fit for Boston.
“The homecoming angle always gets overplayed in free agency, but Michael King, a New England native, fits the Red Sox well on the field. He’s a high-upside starter (see: 2024) who is plenty familiar with the AL East, given his time with the Yankees, plus he’s shown he can be very effective in relief. That could come in handy come postseason time. King’s value is down because he missed time with shoulder and knee trouble in 2025, but if his health checks out, there could be an opportunity to get a difference-making starter at a discount. The homecoming would be a neat talking point on top of the baseball fit,” Axisa wrote.
In 2024, King went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 173.2 innings pitched and a career-high 201 strikeouts. He had a 4.1 WAR. King’s innings pitched were also a career-high. He would fit right into what the Red Sox value in an innings-eater.
Red Sox Likely to Add to Rotation From Outside Organization
Adding a starting pitcher could come either through a trade or free agency. Breslow believes that they will have options in both.
“We’ll see what the trade and free agent markets dictate,” said Breslow. “There are compelling opportunities in both, we think. We also are mindful of, while we believe we’re in a window to contend and to compete for the postseason, World Series championships, we’re also mindful of keeping one eye on the future.”
The biggest free agent names are left-hander Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros and Dylan Cease of the Padres. As far as the trade market goes, along with Ryan, the Miami Marlins have Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara. Then there is Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. Do they trade him or don’t they? Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that unless a deal blows away the Tigers, he’ll remain in Detroit for 2026.
That’s where King comes in. If Breslow is unable to acquire one of the big-name trade options or free agents, the former Yankees pitcher makes sense if healthy.
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