The Boston Red Sox tried to sign one of the free agent starters last offseason, but missed out.

Boston was one of the teams tied to Max Fried before he inked an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees. Things worked out. The Red Sox pivoted and acquired Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox and and he finished second in the American League Cy Young Award race behind Tarik Skubal.

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Now, the Red Sox are looking to add another starter this offseason. Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was transparent throughout the general manager meetings about this fact.

The Red Sox are linked to one of the top available starters

Most of the rumors out there around Boston have centered on the trade block. But, The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon noted that “many in the industry” have called the Red Sox an “obvious fit” for former Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez.

“Valdez is essentially certain to leave the Astros in free agency,” Bannon said. “Many in the industry point to the Boston Red Sox as an obvious fit. They, too, need durable starting pitching. Boston manager Alex Cora was Houston’s bench coach as Valdez climbed the club’s minor leagues, and longtime Astros leader Alex Bregman, who could re-sign with Boston, played with Valdez for seven years.”

Valdez is an eight-year big league veteran and is coming off a season in which he had a 3.66 ERA in 31 starts. It wasn’t his best season. Valdez was better in 2024 with the Astros when he had a 2.91 ERA in 28 starts. Overall, he has a 3.36 career ERA in 188 total appearances.

If the Red Sox were to sign Valdez, a trio of him, Crochet, and Brayan Bello would be a phenomenal top three. Spotrac currently has his market value projected to be a touch over $199 million across six years. That would be an annual value just north of $33 million per year. With Rafael Devers’ contract off the books, they should be able to afford a deal like that.

But, the problem with a massive deal like that, is could the Red Sox still afford to sign Alex Bregman or another slugger in that scenario? That’s the question. From a talent perspective, Valdez would be a big get. But, there are more variables at play.