A seasoned starting pitcher appears to be interested in joining the Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox may have missed out on one of their top rumored free-agent targets, but there still are other starters available.

Boston reportedly was in the running to land former DeNA BayStars ace Shōta Imanaga but missed out as the Chicago Cubs swooped in and got a deal done Tuesday night.

Luckily for the Red Sox, there still are other hurlers out there who could help build the club’s rotation. If Boston decides to spend big, it could easily nab either Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell. But, the Red Sox have made it clear they don’t want to spend a lot this offseason.

There still are other depth options out there with upside, though, who could help. One player who reportedly is interested in possibly joining the Red Sox is former Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, and Chicago White Sox hurler Mike Clevinger, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.

“Per source: Interesting free agent option – based on second half performance – Mike Clevinger has made it clear that Boston is one of his preferred landing spots,” Bradford said.

Clevinger may not be the biggest name on the market, but he does have a career 3.45 ERA in seven seasons of big-league action. The 33-year-old spent the 2023 campaign with the White Sox and logged a 3.77 ERA in 24 starts with a 110-to-40 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Boston still has a lot of work to do. The Red Sox had one of the worst rotations in baseball last year. Boston already has added Lucas Giolito this offseason but traded away Chris Sale and James Paxton likely also will be on the way out of town in free agency.

The Red Sox still need help in the rotation and Clevinger could make some sense as a depth option.