Red Sox reportedly considered trading for Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson

The hot stove season got off to a blockbuster start on Tuesday when the Miami Marlins engaged in the third firesale that franchise has experienced since coming into the league. According to a report from WEEI, the Red Sox were involved in some preliminary talks as Miami attempted to unload salary.

The Marlins sent a massive, salary-dumping package to Toronto in exchange for prospects. The headliners of that package were Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, and Mark Buehrle. Reyes and Buehrle were just one year into their new deals -- part of a haul of players brought in last offseason as the team professed a commitment to win in a new publicly-funded stadium.

Rob Bradford of WEEI reports that Boston was interested in Reyes and Johnson, and had some initial discussions with Miami about dealing for the All-Star shortstop and pitcher. Instead, both became part of the massive 12-player deal involving an AL East rival. The speedy shortstop signed a six-year, $106 million deal with the Marlins just one year ago. Johnson is entering the third year of a four-year deal. The big righty previously spent all seven seasons of his career with the Marlins organization, and while he had a down season in 2012, he was still considered a valuable starting pitcher.