The Boston Red Sox are in the market for a new starting pitcher and there are plenty of options still available.
Boston could easily opt for a familiar face in re-signing fireballer Nathan Eovaldi or someone like Michael Wacha, but if the Red Sox are looking for cheap external options one person they should consider is six-time All-Star Zack Greinke.
The 2009 American League Cy Young winner may be 39 years old, but he still has a lot left in the tank. Greinke took the field with the Kansas City Royals in 2022 and compiled a 3.68 ERA in 26 starts. If Greinke had played for Boston last season, his ERA would have been the second-best by a starter just behind Wacha at 3.32.
Greinke made his Major League Baseball debut with the Royals in 2004 and his 19-year career has developed into one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. The right-handed hurler will likely find himself in Cooperstown after he eventually retires as a member of the Hall of Fame.
The Red Sox’s starting rotation is in flux heading into 2023 with Chris Sale, James Paxton, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Brayan Bello all in the mix for spots, but Boston could also add. The Red Sox have offered a multi-year deal to Eovaldi, but nothing has come of it at this time and they also reportedly have spoken with two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.
Greinke is projected to receive a contract with an annual value just north of $10 million according to Spotrac and so if Boston were to make a move, it wouldn’t cost the team much. The 39-year-old would provide the Red Sox with an extremely solid back-of-the-rotation option while providing the team with spending flexibility this offseason and moving ahead into the next one.
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