THE Boston Red Sox will commit to competing in the AL East one of these years. A disappointing first season after Chaim Bloom ended with Boston staring down 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 ahead.

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

Boston should receive immediate reinforcements with the return of Lucas Giolito, absent all of last season after elbow surgery. But other additions would push Boston to a different level. While the Red Sox may not always be as aggressive as fans would like in free agency, a robust pitching market could work into Boston’s hands. The options are numerous.

HAS AthleticsFormer MLB general manager Jim Bowden has a tantalizing prediction for Boston – one $68 million contract over three years for Jack Flaherty.

This is a good deal for the Red Sox, but unfortunately, Flaherty could hang it up before Boston can even put such an 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 born and raised Los Angeles kid, 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 wanted to go the rest of his career.

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

It’s a disappointment for the Red Sox’s hopes. The door isn’t completely closed — we’ve seen countless free agents leave happy marriages for a bigger payday — but Flaherty is on the Dodgers, a team that historically hasn’t been cheap on D-list deals. free agent. The postseason wasn’t smooth sailing for Flaherty, but he came through when it counted and powered through an injury-riddled rotation. He’s an instant legend in this town.

It sure looks like Flaherty would take advantage of a hometown discount to get through the next decade in a Dodgers uniform. He won’t get a decade-long deal, of course, but Flaherty might be hesitant about returning to the Northeast, where his last experience (in Baltimore) wasn’t so hot. The AL East hasn’t treated Flaherty kindly in 2023, and while Boston is a different team, Flaherty has no obvious motivation to leave his current spot.

Free agent contracts are, of course, reciprocal. The Dodgers must to want Flaherty back, which could get complicated with Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and potentially even Clayton Kershaw healthy and in the mix next season. Additionally, expensive 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 clueless and impatient Flaherty who isn’t willing to wait for the Dodgers’ more ambitious pursuits as a free agent.

Adding Flaherty and Giolito to the mix next season would change the way people talk about the Red Sox. It should be noted that Giolito and Flaherty were high school teammates once upon a time. However, until the ink is dry on the dotted line, Boston fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.