Jack Flaherty leaves the Red Sox immediately in search of a Plan B.

The Boston Red Sox will commit to contending in the Alabama East one of these years. A disappointing first season after Chaim Bloom ended with Boston facing a first-place New York Yankees team led by arguably the two best players in the entire American League. Boston’s aspirations certainly extend beyond toppling New York, but it’s never fun in Boston when the Yankees are in the lead.

It’s not hard to poke holes in the Red Sox lineup, but the fastest path to winning baseball games in today’s MLB is an elite pitching staff. Boston has room to move in that direction, especially after Brian Bello failed to make the leap many expected him to make in 2024.

Boston should get immediate reinforcements with the return of Lucas Giolito, who missed all of last season due to elbow surgery. But future additions will take Boston to another level. While the Red Sox aren’t always as aggressive as fans would like in free agency, a strong pitching market could work in Boston’s favor. There are many options.

IN AthleticFormer MLB general manager Jim Bowden made a tempting projection for Boston – a three-year, $68 million contract with Jack Flaherty.

This is a very good deal for the Red Sox, but unfortunately, Flaherty may hang up the phone before Boston can make such an offer.

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That’s the problem with predicting Jack Flaherty’s departure from the Los Angeles Dodgers – he’s a Los Angeles kid, born and raised, 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 wants to spend the rest of his career.

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

This is a bummer for Red Sox contenders. The door isn’t completely closed—we’ve seen countless free agents leave happy marriages for bigger paychecks—but Flaherty is with the Dodgers, a team that has historically been generous with free agent offers. It hasn’t been a smooth postseason run for Flaherty, but he delivered when it mattered and carried through an injury-riddled rotation. He instantly became a legend in this city.

It looks like Flaherty would take advantage of the hometown discount to spend the next decade in a Dodgers uniform. Of course, he won’t get a ten-year deal, but Flaherty may be reluctant to return to the Northeast, where his last experience (in Baltimore) wasn’t all that hot. The AL East hasn’t treated Flaherty well in 2023, and while Boston is a different team, Flaherty has no apparent motivation to leave his current spot.

Free agent contracts are, of course, reciprocal. The Dodgers need want Flaherty’s return, which could be complicated if Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and perhaps even Clayton Kershaw are healthy and in the lineup next season. Moreover, high-priced free agents like Blake Snell or Corbin Burns could take attention away from Flaherty. That’s certainly what the Red Sox are hoping for, with a frantic, impatient Flaherty unwilling to wait for the Dodgers’ more ambitious free-agent search.

Adding Flaherty and Giolito to the team next season will change the way people talk about the Red Sox. It’s worth noting that Giolito and Flaherty were once high school teammates. However, until the ink is dry on the dotted line, Boston fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.