Red Sox Reportedly Prefer Trade for 'Top-Tier Starter' Amid Tarik Skubal Rumors

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly hoping to add a quality starter to their pitching staff this offseason, and it sounds like they won't mind giving up assets to do so.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported that the Red Sox would prefer to trade for a starting pitcher rather than landing one of the top arms on the free-agent market, with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at the top of their list.

"The Red Sox are focused on adding starting pitching, and they have plenty of prospects in their strong farm system to perhaps trade for top arms like Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene or Freddy Peralta," Bowden explained. "They also have the financial freedom to land one of the top starters in free agency, though trading for a top-tier starter is their preferred route."

The Red Sox had one of the most effective pitching staffs in MLB in 2025, ranking fourth in the majors with a collective ERA of 3.70 and second with a total of 72 quality starts. Garrett Crochet, who was in his first year in Boston after four seasons with the Chicago White Sox, emerged as the team's ace with an 18-5 record, a 2.59 ERA and a career-high 255 strikeouts in 205.1 innings pitched.

Still, the Red Sox weren't able to translate their impressive pitching to playoff success, as they lost to the rival New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Round. Boston had won the first game of the series 3-1 behind an 11-strikeout performance by Crochet, but it surrendered eight combined runs over the final two games as its season came to an end.

Of course, adding Skubal would erase any concerns and put the Red Sox over the top as one of the leading contenders in the American League. The 2024 AL Cy Young winner is a finalist for the award once again after ranking second in the majors with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts to go along with his 13-6 record. He could become the AL's first back-to-back Cy Young winner since Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000.

While Boston is likely to go big-game hunting this winter, it will likely face significant competition for Skubal if Detroit makes him available for a trade. However, it sounds like the Red Sox are motivated to get their man, so they could put together an offer that would be tough for the Tigers to turn down.