Report: Red Sox talking to Richards, Moore, other veteran arms

The Boston Red Sox may have missed out on right-hander Corey Kluber, who is reportedly joining the New York Yankees, but they remain engaged with several free-agent pitchers.

Boston has engaged in contract discussions with right-hander Garrett Richards and left-hander Matt Moore, sources told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

The oft-injured Richards went 2-2 with a 4.03 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 14 games (10 starts) with the San Diego Padres in 2020. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, which kept him out of action until the tail end of 2019.

When healthy, the 32-year-old has shown flashes of excellence. From 2014 until his surgery in 2018, Richards went 34-25 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9 over 86 starts with the Los Angeles Angels.

Moore, 31, spent the 2020 season pitching in Japan for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he went 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 15 starts.

An All-Star in 2013 with the Tampa Bay Rays, Moore struggled in recent campaigns before signing in Japan. He last pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2019 where he made two starts before losing the rest of his season to knee surgery.

In addition to the veteran starters, the Red Sox have also looked into relievers Joakim Soria, Ken Giles, and Sean Doolittle, Cotillo adds.