Welcome to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today we look at a rotation-lengthening option out of Philadelphia.

The Red Sox need starting pitching. You can never have enough pitching is a saying for a reason. It made Craig Breslew’s decisions to shoot for the moon on Joe Ryan and then acquire Dustin May reasonable because no matter how well things were going or how close, say, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early were, adding more depth was a good idea. Obviously we can debate the particulars — everyone saw the Dustin May story ending poorly — but he did give them a few good innings and ate a few more. It’s still possible that if not May then

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