Red Sox Rumors: Theo Epstein and Starting Pitching
By Editorial Staff
The Boston Red Sox search for starting pitching continues and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports the club is interested in free agents Joe Saunders, Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt. Beyond their hunt for rotation upgrades, Cubs president Theo Epstein, former general manager of the Red Sox, shed light on Boston’s past, present and future.
The new sheriff in Beantown, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, has made it clear that he’s looking for additional rotation depth this winter. Heyman continues to hear that the Red Sox remain interested in some of the market’s top available arms including Saunders, Kuroda and Oswalt.
Heyman notes that there are lots of choices still available, and the deciding factor of what caliber of pitcher(s) Boston’s able to add will depend on how much they are willing to spend.
Beyond their team’s search for starting pitching, Red Sox fans received insight on their club from a familiar face. Theo Epstein hit the airwaves this morning on WEEI to talk about both the Cubs and Red Sox.
While discussing his exit from Boston, Epstein said that he and Cherington had been talking about a possible departure for years. If fans think things were bad during last season’s melt-down, Epstein said it was “just as unproductive and contentious” at times during the 2004 season.
When asked about his former closer Jonathan Papelbon, Epstein noted that teams “can get into trouble sometimes giving huge four-year deals to closer”. Even though they won’t have Papelbon at the back end of their ‘pen next season, Epstein believes the Red Sox will fare well with the additions of Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey.
Reflecting on one of the most disappointing free agent signings of his Red Sox tenure, Epstein said that Carl Crawford didn’t let his athleticism translate into performance last year in Boston. Epstein does expect the left fielder to recover next season and return to his former level of production going forward.
For more on the Red Sox, be sure to check out BoSox Injection.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.