He Boston Red Sox will commit to competing in the American League East one of these years. A disappointing first season after Chaim Bloom ended with Boston looking at first place. New York Yankeesled by arguably the two best players in the entire American League. Boston’s aspirations go beyond toppling New York, of course, but it’s never fun in Boston when the Yankees are leading.

It’s not hard to find holes on the Red Sox roster, but the quickest path to winning baseball games in today’s MLB is an elite pitching staff. Boston has a ways to go in that department, especially after Brayan Bello failed to make the leap many expected of him in 2024.

Boston should get immediate reinforcements with the return of Lucas Giolito, who missed all of last season after elbow surgery. But new additions would take Boston to a different level. While the Red Sox aren’t always as aggressive as fans would like in free agency, a strong pitching market could favor Boston. The options are abundant.

More in The AthleticFormer MLB general manager Jim Bowden has a tantalizing prediction for Boston: a three-year, $68 million contract for Jack Flaherty.

That’s a huge steal for the Red Sox, but unfortunately, Flaherty could hang up the phone before Boston can even put that offer on the table.

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Here’s the problem with predicting that Jack Flaherty will leave the Los Angeles Dodgers – he’s a kid from Los Angeles, born and raised, and he just won it all with the team he grew up rooting for. At the Dodgers parade in downtown Los Angeles, Flaherty made it clear where he wants to spend the rest of his career.

“I love this city. I never want to leave.”

That’s a bummer for Red Sox hopefuls. The door isn’t completely closed (we’ve seen countless free agents leave happy marriages for a bigger paycheck), but Flaherty is on the Dodgers, a team that historically doesn’t skimp on free agent offers. It wasn’t a perfect postseason for Flaherty, but he stepped up when needed and filled an injury-plagued rotation. He is an instant legend in that city.

It sure seems like Flaherty would take a local discount to spend the next decade in a Dodgers uniform. Of course, he won’t get a decade-long contract, but Flaherty might resist the idea of ​​returning to the Northeast, where his last experience (in Baltimore) wasn’t so good. The American League East did not treat Flaherty kindly in 2023, and while Boston is a different team, Flaherty has no obvious motivation to leave his current position.

Free agent contracts are mutual, of course. The Dodgers need want Flaherty returns, which could be complicated with Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and potentially even Clayton Kershaw healthy and in the mix next season. Additionally, high-value free agents like Blake Snell or Corbin Burnes could steal attention away from Flaherty. That’s surely what the Red Sox are hoping for: a distraught and impatient Flaherty unwilling to wait for the Dodgers to pursue more ambitious free agency.

Adding Flaherty and Giolito to the mix next season would change the way people talk about the Red Sox. It is worth noting that Giolito and Flaherty were high school classmates once upon a time Until the ink dries on the dotted line, however, Boston fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.