Red Sox Reportedly Not Making Free-Agent Starters a Top Priority

The Boston Red Sox clearly have a lot of work to do this offseason. Following back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East and firing former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, the expectations for an aggressive offseason have been set.

Not only are they multiple pieces away from being a legitimate contender in the AL, but they specifically are lacking in their starting rotation.

With a handful of legitimate free-agent starters left, one would think that would be the top priority for the Red Sox. But, that might not be the case.

"(The Red Sox) intend to first focus on the trade market, and if they’re unable to fill their needs that way, then they might pivot to the free-agent market," MassLive's Sean McAdam said, appearing on the Fenway Rundown podcast.

McAdam goes on to mention the list of potential starting pitchers that the Red Sox could be interested in trading for, including Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes, Cleveland Guardians' Shane Bieber and Tampa Bay Rays' Tyler Glasnow. Each of those starters only have one year left on their current contract.

While it is always possible that Boston is simultaneously trying to sign deals with free-agent targets while also exploring the trade market, I'm not too pumped hearing that trades seem to be higher on their priority list. 

There are potential franchise-changing free-agent targets out there that will only cost money -- and maybe a draft pick due to qualifying offers. Instead, the Red Sox would need to fork up prospects and other talent for players that would then also need to be extended on longer term contracts after acquiring them.

I'm not panicking too much after hearing this news, but it doesn't have me feeling overly pumped about their current offseason approach.