With the Boston Red Sox coming up short of postseason contention following their 2022 campaign, finishing last in the American League East division, there’s offseason work to be done in order to bounce back in 2023.
The Red Sox have three members of last season’s starting rotation — Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill — on the free agent market with their futures in Boston up for question. Aside from Nick Pivetta, who recorded the most innings pitched (179 2/3), Wacha (127 1/3), Hill (124 1/3) and Eovaldi (109 1/3) contributed the second, third, and fourth most innings out of all Red Sox pitchers — not to mention, doing so while finishing with a winning record.
Now, with the World Series in the books, the Red Sox front office is back to work.
With that being said, here are four starting pitchers the Red Sox could target during the offseason:
Noah Syndergaard
Splitting time last season with the Los Angeles Angels and the National League pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies, Syndergaard had a bounce-back campaign.
Finishing off his six-year stint with the New York Mets in disappointing fashion in 2021, recording just two starts alongside a 9.00 ERA, the former All-Star made 24 starts and pitched 134 2/3 innings. Syndergaard finished with an even 10-10 record to accompany a 3.94 ERA with 95 strikeouts.
Syndergaard, 30, is coming off a one-year contract, originally signed with the Angels. With six outings of postseason experience under his belt, the veteran could serve as a solid short-term rotation option to replace any potential free-agency pitching losses.