5 left-handed pitching options for the Red Sox at the trade deadline

The Boston Red Sox trade deadline needs include a left-handed starting pitcher - in fact, that may be at the top of the list.

Boston's current rotation is entirely occupied by righties. They've gotten just two starts out of a lefty all season, both by Brennan Bernardino, who is mainly a reliever. While they haven't been terrible against left-handed batters so far this season, they've logged the most innings (416) and allowed the fifth-most hits (366).

The Red Sox have some slugging lefties to get through among AL contenders, most notably the Yankees' Juan Soto, the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson, and the Guardians' Josh Naylor. And while they've certainly gotten by with an all-righty group, it would behoove Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow to at least present opposing offenses with the different challenge of facing a lefty.

With that in mind, the Red Sox would be wise to target left-handed starters in a trade that's affordable, whether money-wise or return-wise. Ideally, they get someone with term, but rentals can't be ruled out, either. There will be sellers at the 2024 trade deadline that could be willing to give up intriguing lefties between now and July 30. Here are some names to know for the Red Sox...

Not to be confused with the Sports Hub's own Ty Anderson. The Angels' Tyler Anderson may prove to be unreasonably expensive, despite being a 34-year-old journeyman, and that's because he's having one of his best seasons as a pro. He sports a 2.97 ERA through 19 starts so far this season, seventh-best in the AL. He's notably keeping the ball in the park with 1.07 home runs allowed per nine innings, the 11th-best rate in the majors among lefties.

There's one obvious concern with Anderson so far, and it's that he's been absurdly lucky, as evidenced by a .228 BABIP against (league average is typically around .290-.300). His 4.60 FIP dwarfs his actual ERA. So, if the Angels want a top prospect, the Red Sox should probably balk. But Anderson does have one more year of team control at just $13 million and should at least be a solid back-half-of-the-rotation lefty.

A former first-round pick, Rogers is still 26 years old with two more seasons of team control on his contract. Since being an All-Star and an NL Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021, Rogers has regressed mightily, and is 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA so far in 2024 for the last-place Marlins.

But there are still signs of promise for Rogers. He's been a tad unlucky, as evidenced by a .317 opposing BABIP and 4.48 FIP. He's generating groundballs at a higher rate (47.5%) than he did during his stellar rookie season (40.2%). He could be a worthwhile project for the Red Sox, who could get him back to his early-career strikeout rates if they can get his fastball velocity back into the mid-90s.

The A's (37-61) absolutely stink, and should probably sell off some pieces at the deadline. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in June that Sears is drawing interest, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Red Sox have been calling. Sears has a deep arsenal with a low-90s fastball, slider, changeup and sinker, and makes up for a middling strikeout rate (76 in 100.2 innings) by inducing weak flyballs (9.8 home runs per flyball, seventh-best among all lefties) and keeping the walks decently low (2.86/9 innings, 11th).

Sears' opposing BABIP (.271) suggests he's been a little lucky with the balls put in play behind him. But he's in his prime at 28 years old and is on the books for just $745,000 with two more years of team control. This seems like a piece the Red Sox could work with, provided the A's get the right price for him.

Gomber is only 2-6 with a 4.61 ERA for the Rockies so far this season. He doesn't throw very hard (90.1 average fastball velocity, per Fangraphs) and strikes out only 6.05 batters per nine innings. But, according to The Athletic, Gomber will be a player they listen on at the trade deadline.

With his current season performance in mind, Gomber shouldn't cost much in a trade, despite being under team control for one more season. He does throw strikes, as evidenced by a 2.26 walks per nine, which ranks seventh among all qualifying lefties, and has a unique pitch arsenal that includes a knuckle curve, changeup, and slider. Maybe getting him out of the thin Colorado air will help him keep the ball in the park more.

Corbin is expensive - on the books for $25 million, while posting a 5.57 ERA through 19 starts. But with that in mind, the Nationals would likely need to eat a good chunk of that remaining salary to move Corbin.

As a veteran lefty who is at least durable (30-plus starts in the last three seasons), and doesn't allow a lot of home runs (1.29 per nine innings, 15th in the majors among lefties), Corbin qualifies as a depth rental option for the Sox rotation that shouldn't cost much in terms of money or prospects. Maybe Andrew Bailey's staff can restore him closer to the form of his prime years.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.