Red Sox Linked to Trading for $15M Pitcher From Rival

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Red Sox linked to trading for pitcher from rival.

The Boston Red Sox entered the All-Star break on a 10-game winning streak and will now be buyers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

The Red Sox are in a Wild Card spot and now chasing the Toronto Blue Jays for the division lead. An area of need for Boston is pitching, and MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic links the Red Sox to trading for Charlie Morton from division rival Baltimore Orioles.

“Baltimore Orioles right-hander Charlie Morton and left-hander Trevor Rogers are examples of how quickly a player’s trajectory – and trade value – might change,” Rosenthal wrote. “Morton, 41, was the symbol of the Orioles’ early-season collapse, posting a 10.89 ERA in his first five starts. But over his last 59 innings, dating to April 29, his ERA is 3.05.

“One of many Orioles on an expiring contract, Morton suddenly looks like an attractive chip. During Fox’s All-Star preview show on Monday, I mentioned him as a possibility for the Boston Red Sox,” Rosenthal added. “Yes, the Red Sox would love to do better, and perhaps they will. But the starting pitching market is thin and Sox manager Alex Cora is familiar with Morton from the 2017 Houston Astros. With Bryan Bello and Lucas Giolito both on a roll, perhaps the Sox would be OK with someone like Morton rather than a pure (and possibly unattainable) No. 2 starter.”

Morton signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Orioles, but with Baltimore struggling, his name has come up in trade talks. The veteran right-hander would be a good No. 3 or 4 starter for the Red Sox in the playoffs and help solidify the rotation.

Morton is 5-7 with a 5.18 ERA in 20 games, including 14 starts.

Breslow Plans to Address Red Sox’s Rotation

Boston being linked to Morton makes a lot of sense as the Red Sox are looking to upgrade their roster.

Breslow, the Chief Baseball Officer, says the goal for Boston is to acquire rotation help ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

“I think that’s still the clearest way to approach a deadline,” Breslow said. “I’ve obviously learned a lot over the last year. We’ll continue to learn. But we came into this season and we’re approaching this deadline as looking for opportunities to improve the club…

“Some of that (your needs) often depends on what moment in time you ask the question,“ Breslow added. “I think if we’re going to boost the rotation, trying to find impact starting pitching, not just, starting pitching that can take a spot in the rotation. We do feel really good about the depth that we have.”

Boston is 53-45 and holding onto the second Wild Card spot.

Cora Has Confidence in Red Sox Pitching

Although Boston has been linked to adding a starter, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has confidence in the pitching staff.

Ahead of the second half of the MLB season, Cora says a big reason for their success this season is their pitching.

“We pitch,” said Cora. “It’s a lot different than last year.”

Boston currently has a team ERA of 3.79, which ranks 12th in the MLB.

Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton