Would the Boston Red Sox consider trading with an American League East rival in order to make a serious run this summer?
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is closing in on his first trade deadline for a team that currently holds the third AL Wild Card spot and -- barring a slide in the coming weeks -- appears to be in line to buy.
Should they do so, Breslow reportedly has interest in acquiring a left-handed starter prior to the July 30 deadline and could line up well with the Toronto Blue Jays, who are 6 1/2 games back of a wild card spot following a 2-8 skid.
Blue Jays southpaw Yusei Kikuchi is a prime player to be moved should Toronto punt on the 2024 season and would make a lot of sense to bolster the Red Sox's right-handed heavy rotation.
Kikuchi has a 4.00 ERA with an 86-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .277 batting average against and a 1.33 WHIP in 83 1/3 innings across 16 starts.
While he allows a concerning amount of hits, his ability to prevent walks would provide a level of stability every fifth day and fits well into pitching coach Andrew Bailey's staff. His 3.52 FIP implies that even stronger days are ahead after a solid start to the season.
There are a plethora of options to explore in the starting pitching market. Kikuchi could be an affordable option to rent for the home stretch.
