1 bonkers trade Red Sox must make before 2024 season

The Red Sox haven’t done much this offseason, but they have been looking for cost-effective ways to improve their pitching staff. Boston struggled quite a bit with everything last season, and perhaps no unit was more culpable in those struggles than their much-maligned starting rotation.

The Red Sox starting rotation has been an issue ever since former superstar Chris Sale began struggling with injuries and inconsistent performances in 2019, which led to him getting traded to the Atlanta Braves earlier this offseason. If the Sox are going to bounce back and compete for World Series banners once again, they will need to significantly upgrade their rotation.

Currently, Lucas Giolito is penciled in as Boston’s number one starter. Giolito has been the Red Sox biggest free agent signing so far this offseason, but he only signed a two-year deal and has an option to opt-out of the deal after the first year.

Giolito was once considered one of the top pitchers in the game, but he struggled in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Cleveland Guardians, posting an ugly 4.88 ERA over his 33 starts. Giolito’s saving grace was his ability to rack up strikeouts, as he rang up 204 batters on the year. There is no guarantee that Giolito will perform well in 2024, though, and even if he does, there is a chance he’s only in Boston for one season.

This isn’t to say that the Red Sox made a mistake by signing Giolito in free agency. He is a good player, he just can’t be relied upon to be a true ace at this point in his career.

Behind Giolito in the rotation is Brayan Bello, who enjoyed a strong rookie season in 2023, and even looked like an ace in the late spring and early summer. While he played well all year, Bello wasn’t quite able to keep up that ace-level production throughout the entire season.

Bello is a pitcher who relies heavily on inducing ground balls to record outs, rather than racking up strikeouts like Gioliito. This means he relies on having a strong defense playing behind him, and by necessity, he will give up contact due to his pitching style. When runners get on base, Bello’s style of forcing ground balls rather than making batters whiff makes it more likely that those baserunners will come around to score, which limits his ace potential to an extent.

Shane McClanahan would be an undisputed ace for the Red Sox

Shane McClanahan needs no introduction. McClanahan is one of the best pitchers in the MLB, and he has consistently been at that level since he broke into the big leagues back in 2021. McClanahan is the undisputed ace of the Rays, and he is a superstar who can shut down any lineup and go deep into games when he’s on his game.

The Rays operate unlike any other team in baseball, or at least any other contender, as they very rarely extend their own players, but they also don’t typically let them walk in free agency.

Instead, Tampa Bay’s approach revolves around leveraging analytics and its world-class scouting department. The Rays will routinely draft or trade for a player, develop him into a star, and then trade him a few years before he is due to reach free agency.

Tampa is likely to be even more hesitant when it comes to giving out lengthy contracts going forward after they changed up their formula by signing Wander Franco to an 11-year, $182 million extension back in 2021, only to have that blow up in their face due to Franco’s alleged off-field behavior.

The Rays have never been in a better position to capitalize on McClanahan’s success and maximize the return he can command in a potential trade. If Tampa Bay has indeed decided that they are not going to pay McClanahan the amount that he will inevitably demand on the open market, they will likely think about dealing their ace within the next two seasons. Tampa Bay recently bought out the first two years of McClanahan‘s arbitration, and the team can control the young lefty through the 2027 season.

If McClanahan is going to be dealt, the 2024-25 or 2025-26 offseasons are likely when it would happen. This would allow the Rays to strike the perfect balance of maximizing their time with McClanahan on their roster, while still securing a strong return in a potential trade.

If a team were willing to make a godfather offer, however, it’s not out of the picture to suggest that the Rays could be tempted to accept such a deal and trade McClanahan as early as this off-season.

If the Red Sox want to acquire McClanahan, in addition to making a baseline godfather offer, they will likely also need to add something to their offer package. This is because Tampa Bay would almost certainly demand a premium to even consider dealing McClanahan within their own division.

What would a trade for Shane McClanahan look like?

A deal between the Red Sox and Rays for McClanahan would likely begin with Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony going to Tampa. Mayer and Anthony are the top two prospects in Boston’s farm system, and Tampa would be well within their rights to demand both of them.

The Rays would likely also demand Richard Fitts, the top pitching prospect in Boston’s minor league system, along with at least one of Boston’s young big league pitchers. Boston would also likely have to offer at least one of Kyle Teel or Miguel Bleis, along with two or three lower-level prospects.

The Sox would consider making this deal because they’d be giving up prospects in exchange for one of the top pitchers in the league. Having an ace on McClanahan’s level would give the Red Sox a distinct advantage in almost any postseason series, as he is one of the few pitchers who is capable of going toe-to-toe with other top aces such as Gerrit Cole.

The Rays would consider making this deal because they would be receiving an unfathomable return. A 26-year-old proven ace being dealt in the prime years of his career with several seasons of control remaining is virtually unheard of, and dealing McClanahan would likely fetch Tampa Bay one of the largest trade returns in MLB history.

All of this goes without saying that this deal is incredibly unlikely to happen. This is not a trade you should be holding your breath for, and if it were to happen, it would send shockwaves throughout all of baseball. However, there are several reasons why it makes sense for both organizations, so never say never.