Red Sox Should be Interested in Trade For Athletics 5.13 ERA Pitcher; Here’s Why

Red Sox Should be Interested in Trade For Athletics 5.13 ERA Pitcher; Here’s Why originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Boston Red Sox took a 10-game winning streak into the All-Star break, but as soon as they started playing again the streak ended. In fact, the Red Sox also lost their second game of their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs as well.

While there were a number of reasons that the winning streak snapped, one of the most important came in the form of a problem that has plagued Boston all season — starting pitchers giving up first-inning runs.

On Friday, starter Luis Giolito coughed up three runs before recording a single out, on a pair of walks followed by a Seiya Suzuki three-run homer. In Saturday's loss, the Red Sox sent Brayan Bello to the mound where he promptly allowed Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker to lead off the Cubs' first inning with back-to-back home runs.

First-inning disasters have been all-too common for the Red Sox. Boston starters have a stunningly bloated 6.06 first inning ERA, third-highest in MLB behind only the Colorado Rockies, the team with the worst record in baseball, and the Washington Nationals who have the fourth-worst.

But the Red Sox are 54-47 heading into Monday's action, tied for MLB's 10th-best record. Historically, MLB teams that trail after the first inning, according to research by SABR, will lose approximately 70 percent of all games. The Red Sox this season are 16-34 when allowing their opponents to score first.

How much better could they be if their starters were able to keep the opposition from crossing home plate in the first inning? They may have a chance to find out, at least to some extent, with what would be a relatively inexpensive trade for a left-handed pitcher who, according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, is now "in play" as the July 31 trade deadline is only 10 days away.

The pitcher is 29-year-old JP Sears, a 2017 Seattle Mariners 11th-round draft pick out of The Citadel. Sears has pitched the last four seasons with the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics, and this season has compiled a 7-8 won-loss record with a 5.13 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings.

So what would the Red Sox want with Sears who, given his performance, would likely merit no more than a mid-level prospect in trade? The answer is simple.

In the first inning, Sears has been one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The fourth-year southpaw who comes with three more seasons of team control and is pitching on a one-year, $770,000 contract, currently boasts the fourth-best first-inning ERA of any MLB pitcher, at 0.90.

That ties him with the Seattle Mariners' Luis Castillo, and puts him close behind Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies (0.47), Michael Wacha of the Kansas City Royals (0.45), and perhaps not surprisingly, Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the only starter in baseball who has yet to give up any first inning runs at all.

Sears has allowed only two, both coming in one game, a 13-3 Athletics loss to the Houston Astros on June 13. In each of his other 19 starts, Sears has pitched a shutout first inning.

Meanwhile, for the Red Sox, even ace Garret Crochet has allowed five first-inning runs, for a 2.14 ERA. Other Red Sox starters have been far worse.

Bello has allowed eight in the first inning for a 4.50 ERA. Giolito has given up 12, for 7.71. Walker Buehler has been especially poor with a 9.00 ERA on 16 runs. And before going on the injured list May 14, Tanner Houck had surrendered 11 earned runs in nine innings, an ERA of 11.00.

The reliability Sears could provide, with his steadiness right out of the gate every fifth game, could give the Red Sox an advantage that most of their starters simply have not given them this year — offering much more value than the Red Sox would need to give up to get him.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.