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Red Sox pitching prospect Payton Tolle. (Photo by Brian Fluharty\/Getty Images)Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n The Red Sox are looking to acquire a front of the rotation starter this offseason.<\/p>\n Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said he\u2019s pursuing a starter who can pitch Game 2 of a postseason series after Garrett Crochet in Game 1. He emphasized that the Red Sox\u2019 window to contend is open and the market will dictate if he acquires the starter via a trade or free agency.<\/p>\n Breslow traded four prospects, including two Baseball America Top 100 prospects, for Crochet last offseason. He is willing to trade more top prospects this offseason after Crochet helped Boston reach its first postseason berth since 2021. Breslow knows it\u2019s a formula that works but he also stressed being \u201cmindful of keeping one eye on the future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe also don\u2019t want to be in a position where we\u2019re having to do that year over year,\u201d Breslow said during The GM Meetings here at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n The Red Sox are in a position to be aggressive and they have the pieces to land a co-ace. Boston has six Baseball America Top 100 prospects in shortstop Marcelo Mayer (9), lefty Payton Tolle (38), shortstop Franklin Arias (48), righty Kyson Witherspoon (62), outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (76) and lefty Connelly Early (100).<\/p>\n \u201cIt would certainly put a dent in our system, making a trade like that (for a second straight offseason),\u201d Breslow said. \u201cI have a ton of confidence in both the acquisition and development spaces that we can continue to identify players that can thrive in our system and continue to make them better. Trading is certainly one way of improving our short-term outlook, but free agency is another. I think if that situation is in front of us, we\u2019ll make whatever we believe would be the best decision for the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n The cost will be hefty no matter if the Red Sox trade for a starter or sign one in free agency.<\/p>\n The Red Sox\u2019 2025 payroll exceeded the $241 million CBT base threshold. So if Boston signed a qualified free agent, it would forfeit its second-highest and fifth-highest draft selections in the 2026 MLB Draft and have its international signing bonus pool for the next signing period reduced by $1 million.<\/p>\n Top free agent starters Framber Valdez, Ranger Su\u00e1rez, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Zac Gallen, Shota Imanaga and Brandon Woodruff all received qualifying offers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to determine how we value those things relative to each other and how we value one player vs. the alternatives that are available to us,\u201d Breslow said about weighing whether to give up draft pick compensation as opposed to prospects already in the system. \u201cWe\u2019re in a position where we need to improve our 2026 roster and that means that there are certain trade-offs that we have to accept, and I think we\u2019re prepared to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Last offseason, Breslow traded Braden Montgomery to the White Sox in the Crochet deal less than six months after he selected the 22-year-old outfielder 12th overall in the 2024 Draft.<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare for top prospects to be traded so soon after being drafted. But Breslow already did it once, and Witherspoon, the 15th overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, is certainly a valuable trade chip along with Tolle and Early. Witherspoon is viewed highly across the industry and Baseball America actually named him one of 12 draft prospects who could make his MLB debut in 2026<\/p>\n \u201cOther teams have noticed some of the young arms and the way that they contributed for us down the stretch,\u201d Breslow said.<\/p>\n Breslow said \u201cit\u2019s hard to say somebody is untouchable\u201d and added that \u201cto close off any avenue to improve the team seems silly at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n While no one is necessarily untouchable, the Red Sox might not want to move Mayer based on the state of their infield right now. The Sox are currently without a third baseman after Alex Bregman opted out. Second base also remains a question mark after Boston ranked 17th in OPS (.670) at that position in 2025. Mayer is a candidate to start at third or second base depending on how this offseason plays out. With such uncertainty at both positions, it would be difficult to deal Mayer.<\/p>\n Shortstop Trevor Story also struggled defensively in 2025. He finished with negative-seven defensive runs saved in 1,371 \u2153 innings at shortstop, ranking him 20th out of 22 qualified MLB shortstops in that category. Breslow made it clear Story will be Boston\u2019s shortstop in 2026. But if Story\u2019s defense continues to decline and needs to be moved to second base, it would be nice to have the sure-handed Mayer to slide over to shortstop, his natural position.<\/p>\n The Red Sox also have the ability to package a proven, controllable big league outfielder along with prospects. The Sox have four starting-caliber outfielders and are thought to be willing to trade from their outfield surplus with Wilyer Abreu (under team control through 2029) and Jarren Duran (under team control 2028) being the two most obvious trade candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be open-minded about what improving our team could look like,\u201d Breslow said. \u201cAnd if that means having uncomfortable conversations about players that we think could be part of the long-term solution here, we\u2019ll at least listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been cleared of major injury ahead of the first Ashes Test against England.<\/p>\n Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been cleared of major injury, while Sean Abbott will not be available for selection for the series opener due to a \u201cmoderate grade hamstring injury.\u201d Hazlewood and Abbott were both sent for medical scans after pulling up sore on day three of NSW’s Sheffield Shield game against Victoria. Neither of the seamers, who have bowled nine overs, returned to the field after lunch on Wednesday afternoon. However, Hazlewood, a key member of the Aussie pace attack for the series opener against England in Perth in the absence of injured skipper Pat Cummins, underwent precautionary scans, which have cleared him of muscle strain.<\/p>\n “He will train as planned in the lead up to the first Test in Perth,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said of Hazlewood.<\/p>\n But Abbott, who suffered a “moderate grade” strain to his left hamstring, \u201cwill not be available for selection” for the first Test match in Perth. “His return-to-play plan will be developed over the coming weeks,” CA’s spokesperson said of Abbott.<\/p>\n Aussie skipper Pat Cummins has already been ruled out of the first Test against England due to a back issue, while the Australians are also missing Lance Morris and Spencer Johnson due to injuries.<\/p>\n The team’s Test captain, who was in Sydney on Wednesday, said Hazlewood appeared in good spirits after his scan. “I was at the SCG. There was a bit happening there for an hour or so,\u201d Cummins said at a CA announcement for major sponsors NRMA.<\/p>\n “Both had scans. I haven’t got 100 per cent across all the details but I think Joshy was pretty chipper when he got out. Hopefully he should be fine. Seany I’m not so sure about I think they’re still assessing.<\/p>\n “They were hamstrings. Obviously a week away from the Test series always you always err on the side of caution so I think they wanted to see what was happening before pushing it and potentially making it any worse.<\/p>\n “Hopefully not too much (disruption). Again we’ll wait and see how it comes out over the next 24 hours. I think Joshy was pretty confident when he walked out so hopefully it shouldn’t make too much of an issue.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Red Sox pitching prospect Payton Tolle. (Photo by Brian Fluharty\/Getty Images)Getty Images The Red Sox are looking to acquire a front of the rotation starter this offseason. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t