The Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. They may have lost their best hitter, but now have more money to work with to build their team through free agency.
The Red Sox will save over $250 million by trading Devers. They won't be able to just go on a spending spree in free agency, but they can afford to pay Alex Bregman, who will likely opt out, and sign some other marquee players. Their starting rotation could be a focus.
Last offseason, the Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet and signed him to an extension shortly after. However, besides Crochet, the rotation has been rather disappointing. Crochet has a 2.20 ERA, but as a whole, Red Sox starters have a 4.31 ERA, which is the eighth-worst in baseball. Crochet is under contract through 2031, although he has an opt-out after 2030.
The Red Sox need to get him a running mate to compete during his tenure. With the money they saved from the Devers trade, FanSided's Drew Koch suggested they could go after Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres.
"The biggest pitching prize during the upcoming offseason will be Dylan Cease," wrote Koch. "One of the best strikeout artists in the game today, Cease will command top-dollar on the open market. However, Boston could pair Cease with his former Chicago White Sox teammate (Crochet) and have one of the top 1-2 punches in the American League."
Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp
Cease will be a free agent after the season and Spotrac projects him to earn a five-year, $108 million deal. That figure could end up being much higher in reality. Since 2022, he has a 3.57 ERA and 770 strikeouts. He has made 30-plus starts in each of the last four seasons and has made 15 starts this season. He has finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting twice, including a second-place finish in 2022.
More MLB: Dodgers-Cardinals trade pitch brings $81 million All-Star to LA