The American League East is no joke. The Toronto Blue Jays, fresh off a run to the World Series, have already signed Dylan Cease. The division figures to get even tougher, and there is no such thing as too much pitching.
NorthJersey.com’s Andrew Tredinnick predicted on Tuesday that the Red Sox would trade for Framber Valdez. A rotation featuring Valdez, Garret Crochet, Gray and Brayan Bello would be great.
“Boston gets another dynamic left-hander atop its rotation,” Tredinnick wrote of Boston getting Valdez. “It works because Valdez works more north-south and Garrett Crochet goes west to east.”
Valdez has been a great pitcher for the Houston Astros in the last six seasons. Since 2020, he has had a 3.23 ERA in 154 games. He is a two-time All-Star and has received Cy Young Award votes in four separate seasons.
Last season, he had a 3.66 ERA in 31 starts. He threw two complete games and covered 192 innings. He would be a great addition to any rotation, but the Red Sox could use another elite arm in a division that features sluggers like Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Red Sox could be focusing on spending money on an impact bat in free agency. Having already added Gray, a power hitter could be their next priority. However, Valdez would cost them plenty. Spotrac projects him to sign a six-year, $199 million deal.
Spending that much on another pitcher would limit their ability to spend on position players. However, they could still trade for an impact bat.
