The Boston Red Sox have continued their aggressive approach to upgrading their pitching staff, even after acquiring a frontline starter to fill the void left since Chris Sale underwent Tommy John surgery following the 2019 season. On December 11, the team made a significant move by trading four highly regarded prospects—including their fourth-ranked overall prospect, catcher Kyle Teel—to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for left-handed power pitcher Garrett Crochet. The 25-year-old, who struck out 12.9 batters per nine innings last season, is expected to become a cornerstone of the Red Sox rotation, alleviating some pressure from Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, and the rest of the staff.

While Boston's starting rotation finished the 2024 season with a commendable 3.81 ERA—ranking seventh in Major League Baseball and fourth in the American League—the biggest issue was durability. The Red Sox rotation logged just 839 2/3 innings, placing them 16th in the league, barely averaging just over five innings per start. This highlights a pressing need for more quality starting pitchers beyond Crochet.

A major opportunity emerged on December 10, when a highly sought-after international talent became available—23-year-old Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki. The right-hander, who spent the last four seasons dominating in Japan’s Pacific League with the Chiba Lotte Marines, has put up a stellar 2.41 ERA and an incredibly low 0.833 WHIP. His fastball has been clocked as high as 102 mph. With the Marines officially posting him for MLB teams on December 10, organizations now have a 45-day window to negotiate with and sign the elite young pitcher.

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Sasaki has become a top target for multiple franchises, including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and other contenders. Although the Dodgers are seen as strong favorites due to their West Coast location, which is closer to Japan, the Red Sox have emerged as serious contenders, according to reports.

One of Boston’s key selling points is its strong track record with Japanese pitchers, including Daisuke Matsuzaka, Koji Uehara, and Junichi Tazawa, as noted by analyst Jonathan Mayo. Additionally, the Red Sox are known for their robust pitching development program, and having a general manager like Craig Breslow, who is deeply involved in player development, could be an advantage. Breslow even personally scouted Sasaki during one of his starts in Japan.

Another potential factor working in Boston’s favor is Sasaki’s reported preference for a smaller market, as stated by his agent, Joel Wolfe. While Boston is a historic franchise with a passionate fan base, it ranks only 11th among MLB markets in terms of population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. This could make the Red Sox an appealing destination for the Japanese phenom.